The Reichenstien Paradyme
by Dengirl
Summary: With the Doctor gone and in the hands of White Coat, will Jack have to do something he doesn't want to. This is a follow on from Reposession.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

White light filled his eyes, and he tried to close his eyes against it, but found he couldn't. He felt warmth surrounding him, but it wasn't blankets or heating, it felt like...something solid but not....what was it?

Whatever it was it felt warm and safe and he really didn't want to move. But something niggled at the back of his mind...what was it?

Something fuzzy and white filled his vision, and a voice that he wasn't sure was his own whispered in his head.

"Never mind, the warmth is safe...sleep."

Yes, the warmth was safe...he felt safe and so tired.

* * *

He opened his eyes again, that something, niggling at his mind again, and this time he knew what it was.

It was rage, not hot uncontrolled rage, but cold unfeeling rage, with contempt and arrogance as companions.

The warmth around him rippled and began to leech away, and he felt something odd, something in his mouth, something metallic, something restricting his breathing.

He started to panic, but it was soon replaced by the rage he had felt, and with a muffled roar of annoyance he tried to rip the metallic thing away.

He heard what sounded like the beep of machinery, and then he heard voices.

"Quickly, he's awake, remove the ventilator!"

He felt hands on him, and as a hand moved to the metallic thing in his mouth, he moved, his hand encompassing the one that trying to touch the thing obstructing his airway.

He squeezed and was rewarded with a cry of pain from the owner of the hand.

But it was only momentary, as a pair of strong hands levered his fingers, and wrenched his hand away from the unfortunate owner.

"Careful, don't damage him," the voice said.

Then a face came into view, a woman, her face set in a serious frown, that was until she saw he was looking at her.

She quickly turned her frown into a smile.

"Hello, I see you've recovered. Why don't you let my assistant take that out, then you can breathe," she said.

He looked at her, then thought about it and nodded.

"Good, now when I say cough, cough. It will be unpleasant, but only for a few seconds. Now cough."

* * *

"Jack!" the Doctor's voice echoed down the corridor.

Jack ran, following the echo of that desperate plea.

"Doctor!" he yelled, running down the corridor that seemed never ending.

"Jack!" the Doctor's voice echoed, the fear and terror in it ripping Jack's heart apart.

"Doctor!" he called out again, and tore down the corridor, towards the corner.

As he sped towards it, he saw a figure step out, a figure dressed in white. The figure smiled, a wicked sneer filled smile, and began to laugh.

Once again the corridor seemed to stretch and go on forever.

"Jack!" the Doctor's voice cried again, before fading to nothing.

Jack ran faster, straight towards the laughing figure in white, hell bent of snuffing out that mocking laugh and smile.

The corridor began to darken and the figure in white started to disappear into the gloom.

"Doctor!" he cried.

* * *

Gwen jumped as she heard Jack cry out the Doctor's name.

He was having the same nightmare he had for the last three months. She sighed and forced herself to look at the paper in front of her, deciding she wasn't cut out to be a paper pusher.

She would be glad when Ianto was back, so she could get on with more important things, like dragging Jack out of his own well of misery.

Jack had been next to useless since the events at the warehouse, engaged in a fruitless search for the Doctor.

The Doctor was no-where, he'd vanished. He might as well have been in another universe.

She finally gave up on the paperwork and decided it was time to go home. It was a big day tomorrow, not that Jack would notice.

Ianto would be back.

She walked past the step ladder that led to Jack's quarters and made her way down the steps to the storage levels.

She stopped outside one of the doors and placed her eye against the scanner.

After a few seconds it beeped and the door slid open.

The room was empty apart from one object. A blue wooden box stood silently against the wall, seeming to cut a lonely forlorn figure, if that were possible for a blue wooden box.

But Gwen knew that this was no ordinary wooden box, this box was the most powerful machine in the universe...and it was miserable. She walked up to it, and placed a hand on the wooden surface.

She didn't need to be an empath to feel the waves of sadness coming of its surface, it was near palpable.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but we can't find him. Can't you feel him?"

There was vibration beneath her hand as if in answer, and she thought she felt the box shudder under her hand.

"I'm really sorry," she said and turned away leaving the box to its misery.

*******************

The TARDIS reached out once more, searching for the golden thread that was her Time Lord, but finding only darkness.

She withdrew, sadness filling her great heart, and there was a void growing inside, a deep blackness, that only her Time Lord could fill.

Where was he? Why could she not feel him?

She dare not think the impossible. It was something she refused to even contemplate. She would not believe her Time Lord was lost.

* * *

The woman walked along the corridor, for once glad to feel carpet beneath her feet, so much nicer than cold sterile tiles.

She stopped outside a set of double doors, admiring the intricate carvings on the oak. Money does buy you some exquisite things.

She knocked on the door and waited.

A few seconds later a man's voice floated through the wood. "Enter."

The woman opened the door, and stepped into the room that served as her lover's office.

"He's awake and fully recovered," she said as she sat down on one of the antique chairs.

The man behind the desk smiled.

"Good and how would you gauge his mood?"

"Let me see," she said and started counting on her fingers. "Cranky, ill-tempered, tendency to crush bones before speaking. I'd say the implant has taken nicely, you have your Rottweiler back."

"Excellent, then perhaps you would be so kind as to tell him that dinner is at seven, and dress for dinner, we will have company."

****************

Jack surfaced slowly, only opening his eyes slightly. He shut then instantly, the effects of drinking two bottles of whiskey all too obvious, not just to his head, but to his stomach, which was roiling like he was in a dinghy riding a tsunami.

He finally managed to haul himself out of his bed and climbed the ladder very slowly and deliberately up it.

He could hear voices, and wondered for a minute who it was, and then with a flash of panic he remembered......Ianto was back today.

He quickly climbed down the ladder and into the small shower cubicle, letting out a gasp as the cold water hit his skin.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he kept repeating, until the water had washed away the alcohol and the nightmare.

Try not to think of him, not now, think of Ianto Jack thought as he climbed the ladder again, clean, freshly shaved and cleaned clothed.

Three people looked up as he entered the central hub.

Martha and Gwen smiled at him, but Jack's eyes were only for the third person, who looked pale and fragile....Ianto.

"Yan...." he began.

"Ianto if you don't mind sir," Ianto said.

Jack was taken aback by the formality in Ianto's voice, but then realised it should be expected.

He hadn't visited Ianto once in the three months since he'd been injured; he'd been so wrapped up in finding the Doctor, not caring about anything else.

He didn't blame Ianto for being hurt, in fact, he wouldn't blame him if he hated him, he probably deserved it.

"It's nice to have you back," Jack said, carefully avoiding Ianto's gaze.

"Thank you sir," Ianto said. "If you don't mind, there's a tonne of paperwork that needs doing."

Jack nodded and Ianto stood up slowly and disappeared down the steps to the filing room.

**********

Jack watched him and let out a sigh. "He hates me."

"No he doesn't," Gwen said.

"Give him time, "Martha said. "Any news on the Doctor?" she asked, steering the conversation away from hurt feelings.

Jack shook his head. "Nothing, nada, zip. It's like he's fallen off the edge of the world. I don't know where to look."

Martha smiled. "Jack, you know the Doctor, he's like the proverbial bad penny. He'll pop up where we least expect it. White Coat can't keep him hidden forever."

*****************

"There, that's better, we won't have to shoot the tailor after all, very nice," the man said as he adjusted the bow tie, and ran his hands down the dinner jacket.

His hand lingered a little too long on the spot where the jacket ended and the trousers began.

The wearer of the suit grabbed one of the hands and hauled the person towards his face.

"No touching without permission, or are you a toy sent to amuse me?" the wearer of the suit growled.

The other person tried to break the grip the wearer of the suit had on him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean......"

The blow sent the man reeling, and he would have hit the floor if the other person hadn't had a tight grip on his suit.

"What was that, you're sorry? Aren't you forgetting something, what comes after I'm sorry," the other person snarled.

"Please, forgive me," the other man begged as the other raised his hand again.

"Forgive you, only if you call me by my name," the other man said.

The other man let out a whimper of fear.

"Please....Doctor."

* * *

The Doctor looked down at the man cowering in his grip, disgust washing over him.

"Get out of my sight, you disgust me," he snarled and shoved the man away.

The man scrabbled up and fled, glad to have escaped with further injury.

The Doctor stood still for a few seconds, allowing his temper to cool. He looked at his watch, it was five to seven.

"Hmm, still time, now where is my phone?"

*************

Ianto looked at the piles of paperwork in front of him and sighed, nothing had changed.

He hadn't meant to so formal with Jack, but he couldn't just let the last three months pass as if nothing had happened.

Every day since he'd regained consciousness he'd waited for Jack, until bitterness and resentment had stopped him from caring.

He shook his head, and turned back to the paperwork and began filing it away.

He jumped when his phone rang. He looked at the screen, but didn't recognise the number.

He wasn't worried, he'd forgotten quite a few things due to his injury, so he wasn't unduly concerned.

"Ianto Jones."

His blood chilled and his heart almost stopped when he heard the voice that replied.

"Hello pretty boy."


	2. Chapter 2

Ianto couldn't speak, not even breathe, as the voice spoke.

"Hello pretty boy, I hear you've been unwell. Did I hit you too hard? Scramble your noodle did it? Maybe that will teach you to be a tease. Perhaps next time, you'll be more submissive."

"How...?" Ianto finally managed to stammer.

"How did I manage to get your number and bypass Torchwoods' security? I'm a Time Lord, what's a simple phone system to me. But I digress, do you still want me pretty boy? I can do things for you that Harkness can't."

Ianto felt his flesh crawl at the wanton tone in the Doctor's voice, the dangerous tone.

"Well, I'm waiting for an answer, pretty boy," the Doctor said.

Ianto blinked, and a flash of anger rose in his blood. "I wouldn't want you, if you were the last alien in the universe!" he spat.

The Doctor laughed. "Still feisty, I like that....."

The Doctor stopped talking, and Ianto heard a voice in the background.

"Fine, I'm coming. I have to go now pretty boy, busy social calendar and all that. But, I'll be seeing you," the Doctor hissed down the phone, before shutting the phone off.

Ianto didn't move, couldn't move, the phone still held to his ear, a pile of files still gripped in the other. He finally realised that he should breathe, and with a panicky intake of breath he dropped the files, and then the phone, which skittered across the floor.

He felt sweat beading on his brow, and his head began to spin. He felt his knees start to give way and he lost his balance, falling against one of the cabinets that was cluttered with various metallic objects, and slid to the floor.

****************

Jack and the others looked towards the stairs at the sound of several metallic crashes.

"Ianto!" Jack said, and halfway down the second set of stairs before the others had reached to bottom of the first.

He burst into the filing room, looking round for Ianto. He found him sitting against a cabinet, eyes staring at nothing, tears staining his face.

"Yan!" Jack cried and fell to his knees.

"He's back, dear god, he's back," Ianto whispered.

Jack's face creased in concern. "Yan, who's back?"

Ianto looked at Jack, and Jack didn't need words to know who Ianto meant, it was written all over his face.

"No, please no."

* * *

The Doctor was spectacularly bored, he was itching to move. He shifted in his seat, and went to loosen his tie.

He stopped fidgeting when he caught the attention of the person sitting at the end of the table, who glared at him and shook his head.

The Doctor stopped and stared back at the person, but only for a few seconds. He felt his hearts start to quicken and his breath start to shorten and a feeling of panic started to rise in his gut. He had to drop his gaze to the table to stop the panic and calm his hearts and breath.

He frowned, why was he so afraid of the man sitting at the head of the table?

He let out a nervous breath and looked up again, but the person was engaged in conversation with someone, and the Doctor relaxed.

The dinner seemed to drag, he did try to engage in polite conversation, but inside he seethed. He hated this, having to be polite to these stupid apes, when all he wanted to do was crush them like the ants they were.

He watched as the last of the guests left in their limousine, and he silently cheered.

"You must learn to be more sociable, those are potential clients."

A shiver ran through the Doctor at the voice.

***************

White Coat stepped down to stand next to his property and watched with it as the gate closed for the last time.

He had to remember to speak to his property with respect, no matter how much it rankled him. He'd tried the brute force way, and that had backfired spectacularly. So at the suggestion of Dr Michaels, he was trying the persuasive route, appealing to the once again dominant dark side.

It was risky, letting the psychotic side loose again, knowing how volatile and intractable it could be. He'd seen the bruised face of the person who'd delivered his property's suit. It seemed that the new implant he'd grafted on was working. He'd seen the look of fear pass over his property's face as it had tried to stare him down, seen the slight tremble of his property's body.

"We can discuss your social skills another time, it's time for you to retire. I have work for you in the morning. "

His property turned to face him, its eyes bright with curiosity. "What?"

"In the morning, go to your rooms."

"Why not tell me now?"

"In the morning, I have things to organize. Now do as I say and go to your rooms."

White Coat tensed, as for a moment it looked like his property was going to be difficult, but he was worried for no reason, as his property let out a disappointed sigh and trudged up the steps and disappeared inside.

White Coat waited until he heard the door close before taking out his phone. He dialled and waited for the person to answer.

"Are you ready? Good, my operative will arrive tomorrow at eight pm. Make sure he behaves himself, he has a tendency to do as he pleases. Are you sure that the shipment is at the Institute?"

"Yes sir, it arrived this afternoon."

"And the security?" White Coat said.

"It's as we thought, there's a UNIT team and the CIA, they'll be no problem."

"Good, your bonus will be wired as soon as the shipment has arrived and intact."

"Yes sir, eight pm."

* * *

Jack ran the audio tape of the conversation between the Doctor and Ianto again.

He'd refused to believe that the miracle of the Doctor being alive was tainted by the return of his psychotic alter-ego. But as he listened to the almost one-sided conversation again, any hope of having his Doctor back was crushed.

He shut off the tape and in a fit of frustration swept it off his desk, allowing it to smash on the floor.

Fate, he decided was a bitch.

He looked up when there was a knock at the door and Gwen entered without permission, and answered the question before Jack could ask it.

"Sorry Jack, wherever he was calling from isn't on the grid. He could have been calling from anywhere."

Jack smiled. "Thanks, it was a long shot. He's way too clever to not think we'd try and trace it."

"At least he's alive, be grateful for that. We can deal with crazy boy when we find him."

"Yeah," Jack said a hint of sadness in his voice. "How's Ianto?"

"Still shaken up, I'd be worried if he wasn't. Martha gave him a sleeping draught before she left."

Jack frowned. "Left?"

"Yes, you don't remember, what they recovered from the warehouse, the virus."

Jack mentally kicked himself, of course the Reichenstien Paradyme. It was being destroyed tomorrow at one of the government funded institutes, under UNIT supervision. Martha was going to be there as Chief Medical Officer.

Jack knew he should have been there, but other things had stopped him. It should be routine, the laboratory was located in a remote part of the Scottish coast, away from prying eyes and potential terrorist interference.

"I should be there, that virus is like gold dust to terrorists."

"No, Ianto needs you. Martha will be fine, she's got UNIT and half of the CIA watching her rear. You need to stay here, and we need to find the Doctor."

***************

The Doctor watched as the helicopter descended. He'd been delighted when he'd been told where he was going. If he played this right, he could retrieve White Coat's virus for him, and then slip his leash and do what he really wanted to do.

He had a score to settle with certain members of an institute that would soon be no more, and most importantly he could get back what was his.

Oh, he was going to enjoy this, revenge and pleasure. The mixture was intoxicating, he was vibrating with excitement.

"I'm coming for you Harkness, and you'll wish you'd never been made immortal."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Martha winced slightly as another UNIT soldier saluted her. It was one of the things she'd picked up from her travels with the Doctor, she hated salutes.

Sadness filled her as she thought of the Doctor and poor Jack, who'd spent three months searching for him, only to find he was not the Doctor he, no, they all wanted. She knew Jack had a terrible choice to make, and she knew she could never make it, would never want to.

"Dr Jones?" a voice interrupted her thoughts.

She looked in the direction of the voice and smiled. "Dr Johansen, it's nice to see you again. I wish it was under better circumstances."

Dr Johansen returned the smile. "True, but needs must."

"Yeah," Martha sighed. "The virus, is it secure?"

"Yes, it's on Level Four, along with all the other nasties. Destruction is scheduled for the morning. Let me show to your room."

Martha nodded and picked up her bag and followed Dr Johansen.

Morning couldn't come quick enough, the sooner the Reichenstien Paradyme was destroyed, the better. She'd seen the effects the altered virus had on human cells, and it had taken the sick feeling in her stomach days to dissipate. She couldn't believe that anyone, even someone as twisted as White Coat would release something like that into the world, and she knew if the Doctor had been in his right mind, he wouldn't have been part of it.

As she walked through the building, it was obvious how seriously both UNIT and the governments were taking the virus. There were enough men and weapons present to start a small war.

She was grateful for the small room with a bed and a shower. She was suddenly tired, and within minutes of hitting the pillow she was asleep.

*******************

The Doctor stepped out of the 4x4 and walked briskly up the hill. He stopped at the top and looked down at the activity below.

"Oh look, they've laid on some target practice," he said to the man standing next to him.

"Hmm, standard protocol, two ten men units, and by the looks of it CIA as well."

"Should be fun, are your men ready?" the Doctor asked.

"Just waiting your orders, are we a go sir?"

"Are the charges I brought in place?"

"Yes sir."

"Then let's not waste anymore time, you have a go," the Doctor said, and started walking down the hill.

*****************

Martha was shaken awake by landing heavily on the floor, just as the building rocked again.

For a few moments she lay on the floor, dazed by her rude awakening. Then she began to hear the sounds of gunfire, and the sounds of people dying. For once her sleeping in her clothes was an advantage, and she pushed herself off the floor, and opened the door to her room a crack.

Smoke was starting to fill the corridor, and she wondered momentarily why the smoke alarms hadn't gone off.

She opened the door and stepped into the corridor. If they were under attack, there was only one thing their attackers were after, the contents of Level Four.

Covering her mouth she made her way not towards the elevator, but towards the stairs, and began the long climb down.

She had only taken one flight of steps when she met a group of UNIT soldiers.

"Dr Jones, you have to get out ma'am, we're under attack. We'll escort you outside!"

"No, we have to get to Level Four, they're after the Reichenstien virus!" she barked and pushed past the soldiers.

"Stay with her!" one of the soldiers said, and three soldiers ran after her.

*****************

The Doctor took his hands away from the person's head, and shoved them away with a growl of frustration.

"Find me someone who actually knows something!" he snarled.

The man who was standing next to him nodded, and motioned toward the group of men, who were standing a few feet away.

"Find anyone with a red pass!" he snapped.

The man turned back to the Doctor. "There aren't many that have red passes."

The Doctor glowered at the man, who seemed unfazed by the look.

"I need the access code, can't get any further without them," the Doctor said.

"Can't you use that sonic thing of yours?" the man asked.

"No, they've deadlock sealed all the doors." He held up the screwdriver. "This can't undo a deadlocked seal. That's why I need the codes. Is it a problem?"

The man didn't reply to the question, he'd heard the frustrated and angry tone in the Doctor's voice. He pitied the person who was going to be on the receiving end of the Doctor's particular brand of interrogation.

There was a sudden commotion, and seconds later the group of men reappeared, dragging a lab-coated man with them.

"Found one sir," one of the men said, and shoved the man forward.

The Doctor stepped forward, grabbed the man's lapels and pulled him forward. The man's red pass named him as Dr M Johansen, Chief Researcher.

"Now, this is more like it. Well done boys, you brought me the key holder."

The Doctor pulled the man right up to his face. "Dr Johansen, shall we discuss the codes to the doors?"

"I won't tell you!" Dr Johansen said.

The Doctor smiled, and his eyes glittered with what Dr Johansen could only describe as malice, and what were browns eyes began turning black.

"Who said anything about talking?" the Doctor said, and clamped his hands on Dr Johansen's temples.

*********

Martha punched the code into the door to Level Four, it hissed open as the deadlock seal released.

A small shiver ran down her spine, on this level were some of the deadliest diseases known to man, Ebola, Marburg, Hanta and now the Reichenstien Paradyme, in both its forms. She ran down the corridor, followed by two of the three soldiers, leaving one to guard the door.

The room containing the Paradyme was the furthest from the door. Martha knew she wouldn't have much time, whoever the invaders were they would either force the codes from someone, or if they were less sophisticated, they would just destroy the doors.

She stepped into the room, motioning for the two soldiers to stay outside. She tapped the code into the large container and stood back as a cloud of liquid nitrogen billowed in the air, and two cylinders rose from the cloud. She took a carrier from a nearby shelf, and with the thermal gloves she lifted the cylinders from the container and placed them carefully in the carrier.

It was as she closed the lid that the lights went out, and she was left in the semi-darkness of the emergency lighting, which gave of a hellish red glow.

She stepped out of the room and frowned, the two guards were missing. She looked left and right and her heart started to beat a little faster.

She didn't like this, and for some reason she felt compelled to call Jack. She took out her phone and dialled.

"Come on, come on!" she said urgently.

She looked left and right again, hoping to see the soldiers. As she looked left, she heard footsteps to her right.

"Oh thank god," she said and turned.

Her heart froze in her chest, and she stopped breathing.

*******************

Jack raced to his desk, cursing himself for leaving his mobile on his desk. The number told him it was Martha, and he smiled.

"Martha....." he began, but stopped when he heard what sounded like a phone clattering to the floor.

"Martha?" he said, worry eating at him. "Martha?!"

A feeling of dread passed over him, and he knew something bad had happened.

He flew out of his office, grabbing his coat and his weapon.

"Gwen, Ianto!" he yelled as he ran towards the Hub door.

***************

Martha dropped her phone, she could hear Jack's voice calling her name, but it seemed like he was far away.

Her eyes were fixed on the figure in front her, who was advancing slowly, a wicked grin on his face, made worse by the red of the emergency lighting.

"Martha Jones, you have something I want," the Doctor said, and reached for her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Martha backed away, but she wasn't fast enough, and the Doctor caught one of her wrists in a crushing grip.

He reached for the carrier with the other hand and pulled it from her grasp.

"That doesn't belong to you," he said.

A spark of annoyance ran through Martha, and she glared at the Doctor.

"It doesn't belong to you or that bastard White Coat!" she spat.

"Language Martha Jones, what would your mother say," the Doctor chided.

"You know what that does, you can't really want that," she said.

The Doctor handed the carrier to the man standing behind him, and then pulled Martha closer, until he was only inches from her face.

"Why should I care what you stupid apes do to each other? If I had my way, you'd be dead and buried, along with every other stupid simian," he snarled.

Martha paled and managed to push him away. "You don't mean that," she whispered.

The Doctor didn't reply, his attention was taken by the discarded phone. He picked it up and could hear Jack on the other end, yelling Martha's name.

"Harkness, how nice to hear from you again," he said.

* * *

Jack's face fell when he heard the Doctor's voice. "Doctor," he said quietly.

"Jack, you've had my number all this time, and you didn't call once, I'm hurt," the Doctor said in a mock hurt tone.

"Doctor, this Martha's phone, where is she?" Jack asked, the fear of what this version of the Doctor was capable of almost paralysing him.

"Oh, she's a little busy," the Doctor said.

Jack flinched when he heard a gasp, which sounded way too much like Martha.

"Doctor, don't," Jack warned.

"Or what, you'll hunt me down and kill me, well bring it on. It'll save me the trouble of finding you," the Doctor snarled down the phone.

"If you hurt her, so help me..." Jack started to say.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," the Doctor interrupted. "Why would I dirty my hands? Although I might have a little fun."

Jack heard the phone fall to the floor, and a chill ran through him when he heard the Doctor again.

"Shall we play hide and seek? I'll count to ten, shall I?"

Jack heard what sounded like Martha's voice, then he heard the Doctor again.

"Run Martha Jones...run!"

****************

Jack smacked the window of the helicopter in frustration. They were speeding towards the isolated research facility, but Jack knew with growing fear, that they would be too late.

Anger and fear battled for his attention. He was angry at himself, he really should have killed White Coat when he had the chance.

Fear at what he may have to do, fear that he would have to make good the promise he made the Doctor back on Valnax, so long ago it felt like an eternity. Could he do it? Could he carry the burden, the guilt? How would history judge him, a killer or a saviour?

All those thoughts went through his head as the helicopter sped through the darkness, getting ever closer to a destiny that Jack didn't want or need.

All those thought were accompanied by the manic laughter of the Doctor as he counted to ten.

****************

Martha ran, heading for the door, she skidded round the corner and ran towards the door. She pulled on the handle, but it didn't budge. She let out a cry of frustration as she kept pulling on the door.

"Martha, M-a-a-r-t-h-a Jo-o-n-e-s!" the Doctor's voice floated down the hell lit corridor.

Martha tried to ignore the voice, and began punching the code into the door.

"Trying to get out the door isn't playing fair, although to be fair, neither am I."

"No!" she cried as the door beeped in rejection of the numbers she'd punched in.

"I changed the codes, it's quite simple, once you have the originals. Dr Johansen was very helpful with the deadlocks as well," the Doctor's voice was getting closer.

She tried the code again, but it still refused her, she thumped the door in frustration.

"Told you," the Doctor said.

Martha whipped round and saw the Doctor leaning against the wall, just past the corner, only a few feet from her.

"You really aren't any good at hide and seek, are you?" he said, a wicked parody of his smile on his face.

He stifled a yawn. "You're boring me now Martha Jones," he said, and pointed his screwdriver at the door.

Martha stepped back, wary of the door as it hissed open.

"Well, go on Miss Jones, or have you forgotten, I don't give second chances," the Doctor said before turning away and disappearing round the corner.

"Go now Martha Jones," he said, his voice echoing down the red lit corridor.

Martha didn't hesitate and ran, the feeling that something catastrophic was going to happen giving her speed. She flew up the flights of stairs, trying not to see the bodies that littered the stairs and the corridor as she ran along it, through reception and out into the cold air.

**********

The Doctor walked back along the corridor, and sauntered up to the man who he'd given the carrier to.

"Time to go, I think," he said, placing his hand on the man's back.

The man nodded in agreement and turned to go back along the corridor. He'd only gone a few steps when he felt a sharp pain in his neck.

He turned his face set in a mask of surprise, and saw the Doctor, a cold smile on his face. He looked down as he heard a scuttling noise, and saw a small metallic run across the floor.

The last thing he saw as his vision faded and his world turned black was the Doctor plucking the carrier from his paralysed hand.

"As if he'd pay you that much," he said and walked away.

He quickly ascended the stairs, giving the weeping form of Dr Johansen a cursory glance...humans, they had such fragile minds.

"Thank you for your assistance, it's a shame your reward is going to be so final," he said.

He ran from the building, back up the slope, past the 4x4 and kept running until he came to the helicopter he arrived in.

He climbed in and the pilot took off, turning in the air, so that the helicopter swept over the building.

The explosion had be spectacular, Altusian charges always were.

The Doctor looked over and saw another helicopter landing. He saw the familiar figure of Jack Harkness running towards what was undoubtedly Martha Jones.

He hissed in annoyance as he saw his would be murderer Gwen Cooper following just behind and he snarled when he saw Ianto Jones.

He swore in his own language, he'd lost his chance.

"Another time Harkness," he growled and looked away.

**********

Martha kept running, even when she heard and felt the deep rumble of an explosion somewhere deep within the research building.

She only slowed when she heard what sounded like engines, and she looked up and stopped. A helicopter climbed into the air, above the smoke and fire that was now rising into the night air.

She had no doubt as to who had caused the explosion, but she couldn't blame him, he was a mad dog, let loose from its chain. No, it was the one who held the chain she blamed, and she swore there and then, that if Jack didn't kill him, then she would.

She looked round at the sound of another helicopter, and watched as it landed. She let out a sigh of relief as she saw a familiar figure running towards her.

***************

Jack watched in horror as he saw the flames rising from the ruined building. He could see people staggering from the ruins, and he could see what looked like bodies amidst the burning wreckage.

"No, he hasn't," he breathed.

Then he saw someone, and his heart leapt...it was Martha, running like she was running for her life.

"Set this thing down!" he yelled at the pilot and was out of the door before it had chance to land properly.

"Martha!" he yelled and sprinted across the space between them.

He stopped when he saw the look on Martha's face.

He grabbed hold of her. "Did he hurt you?" he yelled. And when he got no response, he shook her.

"Martha! Did he hurt you!?"

Martha blinked and seemed to see Jack properly.

She shook her head. "The virus, he took the Reichenstien virus."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Jack kicked a piece of burning rubble in frustration, absently watching it skitter across the scorched grass.

The stench of burnt wiring and other less pleasant things filled his nostrils, making his stomach roil again. This was the nightmare of last year returning, and the very real fear that he would have to do the one thing he really didn't want to do.

He turned away from the shell of the Institute and saw Ianto walking towards him.

"He did this, didn't he?" Ianto said

Jack nodded, unable to meet Ianto's stare.

"You know what you have to do, you can't ignore it, not anymore," Ianto said quietly.

Jack drew in a breath and shook his head. "I can't, I just can't, its genocide."

"Jack, all those people, he could have killed Martha." He paused before speaking again. "He nearly killed me."

Jack looked up at that. "He not in his right mind, he wouldn't have..."

"No Jack, you can't see, because you don't want to see. He's out of control, for the second time. How many more people are going to be hurt or killed? What if this time it's not something White Coat has done? What if he's gone mad, just like the...."

"Don't say that!" Jack cut him off. "He's not like him, don't ever say that Ianto, don't."

He turned away from Ianto and walked back towards the helicopter, quelling the anger that was rising.

He knew Ianto was right, but he didn't want to think about it. For now all he wanted to do was find the Doctor and take him away from White Coat, see for himself if the madness was forced or self-inflicted.

He couldn't stomach the thought of doing what the Doctor made him promise, he would rather lock him away and care for him, for as long as he needed, an eternity if he had to.

"Come on Ianto!" he yelled and climbed into the helicopter.

The Doctor watched as the land sped past below, he looked over at the pilot, then down at the carrier at his feet.

A thought suddenly came to him, if those three were at the institute, that meant the Hub was empty, and his TARDIS was unguarded.

He looked over at the pilot again, then at the controls of the helicopter. If White Coat wanted the virus he could have it, what use was it to him. If he wanted to use a virus to wipe out humanity, he had far worse and much more efficient samples stored on the TARDIS.

No, all he wanted was off this stinking world, and back to more civilised worlds, where his talents would be much more appreciated.

He glanced over at the pilot again, who looked over at him.

The Doctor gave him his brightest smile. "So, is it fun flying these things?"

White Coat was angry, not at the pilot, who had returned a few hours ago, battered and bruised, but holding the carrier containing the virus. He was angry at himself, he knew it had been a mistake to trust his property, and he cursed his stupidity at not going along.

Now a frisson of worry was tapping at his mind. His property would not return of its own free will, that was a given. But he couldn't let a valuable piece of property like that run free, he would have to get him back.

The Doctor had ditched the helicopter, as much as he wanted to, he really couldn't land it in the middle of Roald Dhal Plas, it would draw unwanted attention. Stealing a vehicle had been easy, but he was beginning to regret his choice, which had drawn unwanted attention.

He eventually pulled up and climbed out of the Lamborghini, glaring at anybody who looked in his direction. But he didn't need it anymore, besides, he had rather ruined the engine, escaping the police vehicles that had chased him along the M4.

Now he was walking across the plaza, heading for the water displays that marked where the Hub was located.

He stopped just short of the displays and closed his eyes, he could feel it, all that power, and it would be his, not the pathetic excuse for a Time Lord that usually dominated. Oh, he was going to have so much fun.

He walked over to the set of steps and stopped. He could feel the power coming from the platform, and felt the jolt as it moved.

He stepped off the platform and into the Hub.

All was quiet, only the hum of computers disturbing the silence.

The Doctor walked down the stairs, following the psychic scent of the TARDIS. He stopped outside one of the door and reached for the handle.

The electrical charge threw him across the corridor and he hit the wall behind with bone breaking force. He landed in a heap, and his eyes rolled back and he slumped to the floor.

Jack jumped slightly when his wrist device beeped. He pulled up his sleeve and looked at the readings.

A grim smile crossed his face. He knew the Doctor would not be able to resist, the temptation of getting to the TARDIS would have been too great, and now his trap was sprung.

"Step on it Ianto, our hawk has returned to the coop."

The Doctor came round with a start, which was rapidly replaced by anger. He wasn't outside a door anymore, he was inside a brightly lit cell.

He sprang up and began thumping on the clear wall.

"Harkness, let me out of here!" he roared.

A figure moved into view and stood, arms crossed a steely expression on his face.

The Doctor let out a snarl and flew at the wall. "Harkness, I'm going to snap your puny neck!"

The figure said nothing, shook his head and turned away, moving out of sight.

"Harkness, don't you walk away from me. Nobody walks away from me!"

The Doctor screamed his anger and kicked violently at the wall, cursing the figure in Gallifreyan and human.

Jack had stood and looked at the Doctor, heard the words come out of his mouth. His voice was full of arrogance and hate, and madness.

He didn't flinch when the Doctor threw himself at the wall, nor did he react. He just shook his head and turned away, trying to close his ears to the insults.

"Harkness!" he heard the Doctor scream as he closed the door to the cells.

It was only then that he reacted. He felt his knees go weak and he slid to the floor, and the horror of it washed over him.

The Doctor was insane, and this time there was no implant, no alien creature.

Jack let out a sob and knew that he'd lost him

Ianto had been right, the Doctor had gone insane....he'd become like the Master!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Jack watched the enraged Doctor kick at the wall again. He showed no sign of calming down, and the need to forcibly stop him was become more and more the only option.

Jack looked away as he heard someone entering the Hub. It was Ianto and he was carrying a small container.

Jack knew what it contained, he'd found it himself, in a file from Torchwood One. It was something he didn't want to use, but if it was possible, he needed the Doctor at least partially co-operative, if that were possible.

"It's ready," Ianto said and handed Jack the small canister.

Jack looked at the container like it was radioactive. "You mixed it to the exact proportions, too much of one ingredient could be fatal. We have no idea what the side effects could be."

"Jack, I know we should test it, but we have to know what he knows. If White Coat has the virus, we need to know what he's going to do with it, and he's are only lead."

"I can't let you do it, he could kill you," Jack said.

"He might, but he'll certainly kill you. At least I have a chance," Ianto said and reached for the canister.

"Alright, but if he as much as looks at you wrong, I'll drop him. Call Gwen and Martha, tell them to get ready."

The Doctor was still angry, how dare these stupid apes imprison him. He was a Time Lord, their superior. They were the ones who should be in here.

He decided that would be his first task once he escaped from here. He would give himself a retinue of servants, willing or not, preferably unwilling, it was more fun that way.

He looked up when the door to the cells opened and he wandered over to the front of the cell, and when he saw who it was he smiled.

"Hello again, pretty boy."

Ianto stepped into the cell, even though his mind was screaming at him to get out.

"What a pleasant surprise, to what do I owe the pleasure of such wonderful company?" the Doctor said.

Ianto took in a deep breath to calm his nerves. The look in the Doctor's eyes promised something he really didn't want to experience. But he had to get close to the Doctor.

True they had no idea of any side effects, but it had to be done, and if it meant physical and mental pain for the Time Lord...then tough, for Ianto it was some kind of payback for what the clearly insane alien had done.

Ignoring the wolfish grin that crossed the Doctor's face, he approached the unstable Time Lord.

"Not everyone thinks you should be locked up. You should be out there, where you belong, not down here with us."

The Doctor straightened and narrowed his eyes, looking at Ianto with suspicion, before taking a step closer to Ianto.

"Does the good captain know you think like that?"

"No, but then I don't tell him everything," Ianto replied and took a step back from the Doctor's advance.

"Really, keeping secrets are we. I like that, in fact I really like it," the Doctor said, and faster than Ianto could react, he was on him.

Jack jumped as he saw the Doctor lunge for Ianto, and shouting for Gwen and Martha, he raced down the steps to the cells.

He burst through the door and skidded to a halt outside one of the cells.

The Doctor had his arm wrapped round Ianto neck and looked like he was in the process of trying to snap it.

"Doctor, stop!" he yelled, furiously tapping at panel on the door, but finding it unresponsive.

He pounded on the door, watching helplessly as the Doctor stared at him, and tightened his hold on Ianto.

The Doctor stared directly at Jack, and tightened his hold on Ianto.

"Really Captain, stooping so low as to use my favourite plaything to do your dirty work. That is so beneath you, or have you become a coward since we last met."

The Doctor words were laced with sarcasm as he held up the small canister and smiled triumphantly.

Jack looked at Ianto, who gave him a small smile, and with a voice that was hampered by the grip the Doctor had on his neck, he managed to say.

"He's not a coward, but you're plain stupid."

Ianto plunged the needle into the Doctor's thigh, and managed to move away as the Doctor gasped in surprise and let go of him.

The Doctor felt the stab of the needle and let out a gasp of surprise. His hand went down to the hypodermic that was still jammed in his flesh.

He pulled it out and threw it away from him. He straightened and looked at the now free Ianto.

"Now I will kill you," he snarled and lunged for Ianto, but stopped.

Suddenly the room was spinning and he felt uncomfortably hot. A sudden wave of pain overtook him, and he fell to his knees.

The pain hit his head like a tidal wave, and he clutched his head, trying to stop it exploding.

The pain was excruciating, and he could do nothing but give in to it, and he span out of consciousness, into the darkness and peace of oblivion.

Jack watched in amazement as Ianto jabbed the needle into the Doctor's thigh, and wrench himself away from the Time Lord.

He panicked when he heard the Doctor snarl at him, but once again looked on in surprise when the Doctor collapsed to his knees.

He jumped when the Doctor clamped his hands to his head, and bellowed in agony, and was pounding on the cell door the second the Doctor blacked out.

He waited anxious seconds before Ianto moved to the door and released the lock.

He was in as soon as the door opened and pulled Ianto in a hug.

"That was the bravest, most dumb-ass thing you've ever done. He could have killed you!"

Ianto pulled away from Jack, and looked back at the now unconscious Doctor.

"You'd better get him down to the med-bay. I don't know if that stuff actually worked, we could have one pissed off Time Lord on our hands."

Jack nodded and helped Ianto carry the Doctor out of the cell.

Martha had been waiting nervously with Gwen, she really wasn't happy with what they were about to do. She looked at the tiny chip in the glass, wishing she didn't have to set eyes on this thing ever again.

She looked over at Gwen, who was setting up a tray of instruments.

"I hate this thing, even more now UNIT has had their grubby paws on it. It's no worse than what White Coat did."

Gwen put the last instrument on the tray and moved over to Martha, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We have to try, we have to see if he really is mad," she said.

Martha sighed. "I know, but this. I feel like I belong in a nightmare version of 1984, and I'm the thought police. He'll never forgive me for this."

Gwen smiled "Course he will, there must be a part of him that still sane, and we have to know what White Coat is up to."

Jack watched as Martha sealed the incision in the Doctor's head with the laser and moved away.

She turned to look at Jack and nodded, it was done.

With a sigh Jack moved away from the glass partition.

All they could now was wait.

He hadn't wanted to place that implant back inside the Doctor's head, but UNIT assured him that the chip had been re-programmed.

He knew it was a risk, either it would work, and hold the insanity back long enough, or it would drive the Doctor further into irreversible madness.

Jack sighed and wondered how it had all come down to this.

His thoughts turned to White Coat, and the thoughts became the desire for white hot revenge.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

White Coat's look of disdain told the figures in front of him, what he thought about this particular breed of person.

He looked along the line of people, who laughingly called themselves mercenaries' and bounty hunters. To his mind they were murderers and rejects, cast offs from the military and civil law services.

But at this moment in time, they were a necessary if unpleasant evil.

He had to have his property back, it had something he needed, something he foolishly thought would be safe with his property, well inside his property.

"You have the description and the possible locations of the target. I hope you find the re-numeration satisfactory."

One of the men cleared his throat. "Why do you need us, by the looks of it, you have a whole army you could use?"

White Coat looked at the man, a rather large man, with a buzz cut.

"My army as you put it has other duties to perform, besides, this particular target needs your particular set of skills," he said, not hiding the sarcasm in his voice.

"He doesn't look like much of a problem," another said.

White Coat smiled. "Gentleman, the phrase wolf in sheep's clothing was created to describe the target, or should I really call him a snake. Yes, perhaps a snake, underestimate him at your peril, hence the substantial monetary enticement."

"If he's that dangerous, why do you want him alive?"

"That is my concern!" White Coat snapped. "Now get out of my sight."

White Coat waited until they had filed out of the room, before relaxing. He sat down and pressed one of the buttons on his comm.

"Dr Michaels, how are you progressing?"

The person on the other end sighed. "It's not like adding blue and yellow together to make green. I have to restructure the whole genetic sequence, it'll take time."

"I am well aware of that, but since that particular strain will no doubt now have an antidote. I need a new strain," White Coat said.

"I know, but it will still take at least six weeks to grow the cultures, let alone how long it's going to take to test the genetic sequence, be patient."

"Point taken, just keep me updated," White Coat said.

"Have our guest gone?" Sarah Michaels asked.

"Yes, but I don't hold out much faith in their retrieving my property. I fear not placing a control chip will be a very large mistake."

"You worry too much, all he'll be concerned with is working his way through Torchwood, slowly and terminally," Sarah replied.

"No, you don't understand, I need it back," White Coat said.

"Why?" Sarah asked.

"Because in my mistaken arrogance, that the conditioning would cause it to return to me, I used it to store certain data, certain genetic data."

Sarah let out a small gasp. "You put the virus inside it!"

"It was the best receptacle there was. How was I supposed to know it would be so un-trainable."

"But its unstable!!"

"I realise that, but I hope by sending those excuses for humanity after it, I will force it to come to me," White Coat said.

"You hope, you'd better hope that they don't have anyone clever enough to find it," Sarah said, and broke the connection.

White Coat sat back; it was no fun being hoisted by your own petard. He was beginning to think that keeping his property alive was more trouble than it was worth.

Martha checked the Doctor's vital again, pleased to see that they were normal, for a Time Lord anyway.

Both his hearts seemed to be functioning, and she marvelled at how he had recovered from what should have been a fatal chest wound. She looked at one of the monitors, the chip she'd implanted was working, and she hoped it would have the desired effect.

She wasn't happy at what they had to do, it was to her mind no better than the forced lobotomy's her predecessors had performed on schizophrenic patients. The only difference was that she'd used a micro-chip and not a scalpel, and however this ended she would make sure it was taken out.

She sighed and moved out of the med-room and into the small lab that was next door. She'd taken blood, just to see if there was a chemical imbalance or some kind of pharmaceutical reason for his descent into insanity.

She'd been waiting for the results of a DNA sample she'd taken. She walked over to the DNA reader, thankful that it was one that Jack had procured in his time at Torchwood.

She looked through the viewer and let out a sharp gasp...that wasn't right.

Jack jogged down the steps to the lab and entered, expecting to find Martha. She had called him, and had sounded anxious.

"Martha?" he enquired.

"In here," he reply came from the med-room.

He moved into the room, expecting to see the Doctor awake and hopefully sane. But there was no change, he was still out of it, the machines blinking and beeping in time with his breathing and heartbeats.

"You wanted to see me, said it was urgent?" he said, breaking her attention.

She was holding another vial of the Doctor's blood.

"Haven't you got enough already?" he said lightly, but stopped when he saw her face.

"I have something to show you," she said and moved back into the lab.

Jack stared at the image on the screen in disbelief. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes, at first I thought it was a problem with the reader, but it isn't. I know the Doctor has a triple helix, but when I saw this, I knew it wasn't right."

Jack looked at the image again, you couldn't see it, not unless you were shown, or knew what to look for.

Woven between the strands that were the Doctor's triple helixes was another strand, clinging to it like a parasite.

"That's another DNA strand, how the hell did it get there, and can you get it out?"

Martha looked at Jack, then at the image. "Firstly, I have no idea how the hell it got there in the first place and secondly, watch," she said.

She moved over to another machine and brought up a small screen.

"I tried separating it earlier, and this is what happens."

Jack watched in consternation as the foreign strand started to separate from the other, but as it did, the triple helix began to disintegrate.

"I try to remove it and it his own DNA starts to unravel, I'd be killing him," she said and switched off the screen. "The only person, who can remove it, is the person who put it there."

Jack let out a snarl of anger. "White Coat."

"Something else Jack, I want to disable that chip, having that extra DNA may interfere with it, or have side effects I don't know about."

As if to give her word prophetic meaning, a loud beeping rang out from the med-room.

Both Martha and Jack ran into the room, just in time to see the Doctor fall of the bed.

He was screaming hands clawing at the area Martha had placed the chip, like he was trying to dig it out with his bare hands.

"Doctor, no!" Jack cried and went towards him.

As he approached the Doctor lashed out, causing Jack to step back.

The Doctor continued pulling at his hair, and began screaming, but not in human.

"Innai! Shai mela istrai! Innai!" he screamed, before descending to un-intelligible screams.

"Christ, the chip!" Martha yelled. "I have to get it out now!"

"How, I can't even get near him!" Jack yelled back, as he tried to approach the Doctor again, but was forced away.

"I don't care how you do it!" Martha yelled.

Before Jack could reply, the Doctor gave a prolonged cry of agony and collapsed the silence deafening.

Jack moved over to the now still Time Lord and began to move him.

The Doctor fell forward in his arms, and Jack became alarmed...there was no sign of life!

_**Translation**_

_**Innai- Pain**_

_**Shai mela istrai- make it stop**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Jack heaved the Doctor's lifeless body back onto the bed and pulled away the leads that were still attached to the Doctor.

He threw them away, and waited anxiously for Martha to return. He wished she would hurry herself, but she didn't, moving in that unhurried, yet quick movement of a professional.

"Get out of the way Jack," she said firmly as she wheeled the crash cart into the room.

When Jack didn't respond instantly, she shoved him out of the way.

Jack stood silently and watched as she rubbed the paddles together before pressing them to the Doctor's chest.

The Doctor's body arched and fell back, but was still lifeless.

"Clear!" Martha said, and this time the crackle of electricity made the hairs on Jack's arms tingle, and he swore he could see sparks arc across the Doctor's chest.

For a moment Jack thought it hadn't worked as the Doctor lay still once more, but the Doctor drew in a large gasp of air and clutched at his chest, before becoming still again.

"Is he?" Jack said quietly.

Martha placed a hand against the Doctor's neck. "He's alive," she said and began re-attaching wires and the room was once again filled with sounds of monitors.

She moved over to the monitor that she was using to keep an eye on the chip, and as she suspected the chip was malfunctioning, interfering with the Doctor's neural patterns.

Jack looked at her, his faced creased with concern. "Martha?"

"I need the Dilisian scanner, do you still have it?"

Jack stared at her. He knew what the scanner was for. "Martha what's wrong, is it the Doctor?"

"Jack, just get me the scanner," she said.

Jack went to say something, but the sudden authority in her voice made him move and he was out the door at a run.

He reappeared minutes later with the scanner. "Be careful with it, we still not sure how it works."

Martha nodded and placed the scanner, which was no bigger than her I-phone and ran it over the Doctor's head.

As she did a three dimensional image began to form, and the intricate workings that was the Time Lord's brain were displayed in front of Martha and Jack.

"Wow!" Jack said as he watched sparks of electricity skitter across the surface of the image in front of them.

As Martha moved the scanner round, the small black dot that was the chip came into view.

"Whoa, wait a minute, what was that!" Jack exclaimed when something caught his eye, just as Martha moved the scanner.

"Go back a bit Martha," he said quickly. "Look, there!"

He pointed to a small area near the chip, and Martha eyes widened in surprise. How could she miss that?

She stopped the scanner and touched the screen, and the image zoomed in on the area, and then she saw it. It was no more than a thread, but it was there, a single black strand, moving almost too slowly to be noticed, but it was wrapping itself round the chip.

"That looks like that DNA strand," Jack said, moving closer to the image. "Is it growing, that's not possible, is it?"

Martha studied the slowly moving strand, she was even more convinced that whatever the DNA strand was, it wasn't beneficial to the Doctor. She knew what she was going to say next was going to upset Jack, but she had to say it.

"There's nothing I can do, this is way out of my league. My best guess is it isn't just DNA, it's...how can I describe it, like one of vines, it invades its host and changes it at a genetic level, eventually turning it into a replica of itself," she said.

Jack looked at the slowly advancing black tendril.

"It's only going to get worse, isn't it? Is that what was driving him insane?"

Martha thought for a moment. "It could, if it acts more like the cordyceps fungus than a vine."

Jack frowned. "Explain."

"It a predatory fungus, it invades the host, usually an ant or some kind of insect. Its victim behaviour gradually becomes more and more erratic, and eventually the spores overtake the whole body, and it bursts through the shell of its victim, and the cycle begins again."

Jack looked at her in horror, then at the Doctor. "That thing's going to kill him?"

"I don't know Jack, I'm working in the dark. But why would White Coat want him dead, he's too much of an asset to want him dead."

"I don't care what he wants with him, he's never getting near him again," Jack snarled.

Martha looked at Jack, her face serious.

"Jack, I don't think we have a choice, I can't fix this. The Doctor certainly can't. You have to decide....let this thing drive him further into insanity and end up killing him, or you have to get your hands dirty, and deal with the devil."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

"No, I can't, it'd be like feeding a kid to an alligator. I told you, that bastard's not getting his hands on him ever again!" Jack yelled.

Martha said nothing during Jack's tirade. She knew he was hurting, but she had to think of the Doctor first.

"Have you finished?" she said calmly. "Listen to me Jack Harkness, I don't care one jot about how you feel about White Coat. I only care about the Doctor. I have no idea where to start, and I could kill him trying."

"I'd rather him be dead, than let that sick bastard near him!"

Jack knew he'd said the wrong thing as soon as the words left his mouth, and he saw the look on Martha's face.

She'd visibly paled. "You don't mean that," she whispered.

Jack looked over at the Doctor and rubbed a hand over his face. "No...I...god Martha, what do I do?" he said and sunk into the chair next to the bed.

He placed a hand on the Doctor's head and pushed damp strands of hair from his face.

"Tell me Martha, please. Do I let him stay like this and die in some god awful way, or do I hand him over to someone who sees him a nothing more than a piece of livestock."

Martha moved over to Jack and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We don't have to hand him over. White Coat can come here, just him, where we can keep an eye on him."

Jack looked up at Martha, and she could see ideas brewing in his mind.

"Yes, we can do that. We can restrict him to the med-bay. Then I can kill him," Jack said in a tone that was way too calm for Martha's liking.

She let it pass, treating the Doctor was more important.

"All we have to do is find a way to contact him," she said.

"I can do that," Jack said.

The rain was coming down almost horizontally as Jack pulled into the deserted car park.

He still hated the idea of letting White Coat anywhere near the Doctor, but he knew he had no choice.

The Doctor's condition had worsened. His hearts had begun to falter, and the virus for want of calling it something had spread over a quarter of the Doctor's brain, causing him to suffer violent fits.

Jack hoped his contact would arrive soon. All he wanted to do was get back to the Hub and the Doctor.

The sound of an engine made him look up, and another car pulled into the car park. Jack stepped out of the SUV and pulled his coat tighter to his body, and walked towards the other vehicle, stopping by the driver's side.

"Can't say it's a pleasure Harkness, but your money's as good as anyone's. What do you want?"

Jack forced a smile. "Just be lucky I'm paying you cash, not with the bullet you deserve. Have you heard of someone called White Coat?"

The person in the car laughed. "Oh, socialising with a better class of scumbag are we?"

Jack scowled and reached into the window, and grabbed a handful of the person's coat and hauled the person half out of the window.

"Listen you excuse for skin, can you get a message to him?" he snarled, before letting go.

"Okay, okay. I can get someone to get a message to him, but it might take a while. White Coat doesn't trust anyone. What's the message?"

Jack threw a roll of notes into the car. "Tell him I have what he wants. If he wants to talk, tell him to leave a message at this post box," he said and threw a piece of paper into the car. "Now, get out of my sight before I change my mind."

He watched as the car pulled away, hoping that he hadn't made a huge mistake. No time to think about that, he wanted to get back Cardiff.

For some reason, he had the feeling that something wasn't right.

The person who had been talking to Jack drove for a couple of miles and then pulled over. He took out his phone and dialled.

"Sir, he's out of the Hub, it'll take him a good hour to get back. Yes sir, he does have what you want."

The driver of the car went to switch off his phone and didn't pay much attention to it as it beeped at him. He pressed the button to read the text and jerked back in surprise, when a fine spray of mist covered his face.

Intense pain burnt across his face, and he didn't even have time to scream, as his face dissolved in a mess of melted flesh and bone.

White Coat put his phone down. "I really do despise tattle-tales."

He turned from his phone and spoke to the man standing in the shadows of the room.

"Tell your mercenaries, be ready to retrieve my property."

He watched the man leave his office, before relaxing. He really should have told Dr Michaels about the true nature of the Alpha Code, but he never was very good at sharing.

If he was right, Captain Harkness and the rest of Torchwood were going to have their hands full, and not just with the mercenaries.

Martha sat down at the terminal and began collating the latest results from the blood sample she'd taken from the Doctor.

They made depressing reading, he was deteriorating way too fast, and there was nothing she could do about.

She looked up when she heard someone approaching. It was Ianto, carrying two cups.

"Thought you could do with this, my special brew," he said and placed a cup of steaming coffee in front of her.

Ianto sat down and looked at the results on the screen. "It doesn't look good does it? He's going downhill fast isn't he?"

Martha sighed and nodded. "The fits are getting worse, and his left heart is starting to fail."

"What about the alien strand?"

"It's covering almost seventy percent. All his major organs have been compromised, it's slowly squeezing the life out of him, and I don't know why he can't fight it."

Ianto looked at the screen, then over at the stairs that led to the med-unit. "Maybe he doesn't want to."

Martha looked at him. "Why wouldn't he?"

"Martha, look at what he's been through in the last few years. First he finds and then looses the only surviving member of his race. Then there was Davros, the Daleks, having to give up Donna, and then loosing Rose to a human version of himself. That'd be enough to drive anyone to the edge, and then just when you think everything is getting better...wham, you get abducted by some bastard who turns you into a psychotic version of yourself. If that was me, I wouldn't want to live one second longer than I had to."

"You think he's lost the will to live, I can't believe that," Martha said.

"That's because you and Jack are too close to him. You don't want to see, because you're frightened of losing him."

Martha let out a long sigh. "Perhaps you're right, but you haven't seen what he can do, has done. I spent a whole year travelling the Earth, hiding from the Master for him, so if you think I'm going to let him slip away, then think again."

"Even if it means letting White Coat near him again?" Ianto asked.

"If I have to, yes. As much as I hate that man, he's the only one who can help him," Martha said, as she typed in the last test results.

Ianto took the empty cup and stood up. "You should get some rest, he'll need you."

Martha shook her head. "I can't."

"He's not going anywhere," Ianto said. "Get some sleep, I can watch out for him."

Martha nodded and disappeared into the small area that held a small but comfortable camp bed.

Ianto walked back down to the med-room, and moved over to the still unconscious Doctor. He sat down on the chair next to the bed.

He looked at the pale form of the Time Lord, then at the beeping monitors. It would be so easy to break into Jack's safe, who didn't know he knew the codes, and take out that phial of golden liquid.

The one that the Doctor had forced Jack to keep. The one that Jack would never use.

It would be easy to inject into the drip and end it all.

But he knew he wouldn't, because he knew it would destroy Jack.

Ianto moved closer and whispered in the Doctor's ear. "I know your suffering, I know you want to die. I could end it for you, just one injection. But I won't, because that would be too easy, just to die. You hurt me and you hurt those around you, you'll have to live with the guilt, like the rest of us."

He stopped talking when the monitors beeped in alarm and the Doctor stopped breathing...just for a second and then started again.

Ianto calmed himself and was about to get up, when the Doctor's hand suddenly clamped over his.

Ianto looked at the Doctor, eyes wide with surprise and a lot of fear.

The surprise melted away to pure fear, when the Doctor's eyes opened.

But, it wasn't fear of the Doctor that caused Ianto to freeze.

He looked into the Doctor's eyes and saw nothing. They were vacant, and if he could believe his eyes, they were covered in what looked like a cloudy film.

The whole of the hub was suddenly rocked by an explosion, and in the cacophony of the alarms, Ianto swore he heard a scream......Martha!

Ianto went to move, but the Doctor still had a hold on his hand. He tried to prise the Doctor's hand away, but his grip was like a vice.

The Doctor suddenly sat up, and slowly turned his head towards Ianto, and this time Ianto was afraid of the Doctor.

He was staring at Ianto......and the look on his face said one thing.....death.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Ianto stared back into the Doctor's eyes, but there was no recognition, not that Ianto could see the Doctor's eyes beneath the threadlike film that was covering them.

"Doctor, let go" he said, desperate to get upstairs.

He could hear multiple footsteps, the Hub had been invaded.

He looked at the Doctor again. "Doctor... please," he whispered.

He looked up again as he heard feet on the metal steps, then he felt the Doctor's grip on his hand relax.

He jumped as the Doctor let out what Ianto could only describe as a predatory hiss, and got off the table, dragging the wires until they were too taut and snapped.

Ianto didn't have time to react as too many things were happening at once.

He heard Martha cry out again, then the first of what turned out to be a large group of armed men appeared at the door to the med-room.

Everything after that seemed to be a blur.

The first man stepped into the room, saw Ianto and raised his weapon.

Ianto felt himself shoved backwards, and landed behind a large cabinet. He fell awkwardly, so he didn't see what happened next, but he heard it.

There was the predatory hiss, which could only have come from the Doctor, and then there came the scream of someone in agony.

Angry shouts muffled the screams of the man, followed by what sounded like a struggle.

"Get the restraints....Jesus...what the hell has he done. Get him the hell away..... god damn freak!"

Ianto righted himself, but didn't move, as the struggle was continuing.

There was another scream, and more shouts.

"What the hell, don't let him go!"

"Somebody kill the bastard!"

"No, he wants him alive!"

Another scream filled the air, and Ianto decided he should act. If they were under attack, he had to help, even if it was some distorted version of the Doctor.

Taking a deep breath and drawing his weapon, he scooted to the end of the cabinet, and looked round the corner... and his jaw dropped.

The Doctor had his hands clamped to one of the invaders head's, but it wasn't that, that made Ianto's stomach turn.

It was the threads of what looked like fine webbing...no, it looked like strands of fungus that were smothering the man's face.

He looked round the room and saw several men in the same state, no worse, almost engulfed in a white shroud that appeared to be turning black.

It looked like the thread that had invaded the Doctor's body, only it was spreading faster.

Although it was horrific, it was in Ianto's mind, no more than they deserved.

He shut off his mind to the thought and brought his weapon to bear, and with a cold, methodical accuracy began picking them off, as they tried to enter the med-room.

At first, his secondary attack didn't seem to make any difference, but gradually the door to the med-room became jammed with the dead, some by Ianto's hand, and the rest by whatever was inside the Doctor.

Ianto hoped they would get the message soon, as he was running out of ammunition.

Ianto's hopes seemed to be answered, when someone suddenly shouted.

"Screw this, he's not paying enough!" and the sound of retreating invaders filled the air.

Ianto still didn't move from behind the cabinet, fearing the Doctor was still out there. It was a good few minutes before he chanced looking round the corner of the cabinet.

He found the room empty, but it looked like something out of a horror movie.

There were bodies everywhere, some had fallen to his bullets and were now blocking the doorway.

The others had died in a less merciful way. Their bodies invade by something that cared nothing for them as humans.

Ianto stood up and tried not to look at the tangled mass of bodies and black tendrils.

The Doctor had vanished, and that worried him, he could be anywhere.

Martha was dreaming of sandy beaches and azure seas, when her dream exploded. With a startled cry she fell off the small bed, and hit the floor with a painful thud.

She didn't have time to pull herself up, because the door burst open and someone barrelled in and dragged her up.

She let out a surprised scream as the person hauled her out of the room.

"Where is he!?" the person shouted, tightening his grip on her arm.

Martha had finally gathered he senses and glared silently at the man.

"Fine, he can't hide in here forever," the man said and roughly man-handled Martha down the steps into the centre of the Hub.

The sounds of gunfire suddenly distracted the man, and taking her chance she pulled.

But the man's grip was too tight, and with a snarl he backhanded her.

She fell and didn't move.

The man growled and set off down the stairs, leaving her on the floor, a thin trail of blood trickling from her mouth.

Martha never heard the screams and the shouts, nor did she see the hurried retreat of what was left of the armed invaders.

She came too when she felt someone touch her face. She opened her eyes slowly, but they widened when she saw who was staring down at her.

It was the Doctor, he was reaching out with a hand that was almost translucent.

The first thing Martha saw was the black tendril, saw it writhing under his skin. She let out a gasp and tried to move back.

This seemed to startle the Doctor, and he jumped.

Martha stopped when it looked like he was trying to say something.

"Martha," he said, he voice sounding strained, like he was fighting to get the words out.

"Martha.....help me....please."

He suddenly stiffed and he arched backwards, his spine cracking with the strain. He fell back but managed to right himself.

"Martha...please..." but his words were cut off by a cry of agony, and he staggered back, straightened and ran out of the now destroyed Hub door.

Martha didn't move, not straight away. Her heart ached, the Doctor's voice had held so much pain....dear god, he knew what was happening to him.

Shaking herself, she pulled herself off the floor. There was no point in chasing after the Doctor, she would never catch him.

It was then that she caught the smell of gunfire in the air, and the distinctive smell of fresh spilled blood......the med-bay....Ianto.

Ignoring the bruise that was already stiffening her jaw, she started down the steps.

She stopped outside the med-bay door, looking down in horror at the bodies that littered the floor.

Swallowing her horror, she stepped into med-bay, and screamed when a hand shot out and covered her mouth!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Martha tried to twist away from the hand that covered her mouth, but was surprised when the hand was taken from it.

"Martha, thank god!" a familiar voice said.

She whirled round, and saw Ianto, eyes and face full of relief at seeing a friendly face.

Both hugged each other, just to make sure that they were both alive.

Martha looked round the room, a puzzled frown creasing her face when she saw the carnage.

Ianto saw her frown, and stepped in front of her.

"Don't ask," was all he said, before steering her out of the room.

"Where's the Doctor?" he asked, peering round the corner of the med-room entrance.

"He's gone," Martha replied.

"Did they take him?" Ianto asked, moving out of the med-area, and slowly started climbing the stairs.

"Those men, I don't think so. Ianto, he's..."

"Not the Doctor anymore, I know," Ianto interrupted her.

"No," Martha said, grabbing hold of Ianto's arm. "Ianto, he's still in there, and he's fighting."

Ianto turned to look at Martha, his face set in a hard mask.

"No Martha, you didn't see him..." Ianto swallowed. "Didn't see what he....no it did. It wasn't the Doctor."

"I don't believe that, or he would have done to me what he did to those others. They were people, inside those black things...."

Martha stopped, as a horrible thought crossed her mind.

"Ianto, what if, and it's an awful what if. What if this was White Coat's plan all along? What if the Reichenstien Paradyme was just a red herring, something to throw everyone off the real scent?"

Ianto looked at Martha, and frowned. "Martha, what if White Coat isn't human?"

Martha nodded. "It would make sense. No-one on Earth has the knowledge to do that, and to do that to the Doctor. But White Coat must be human. You did all the tests on him after Arizona. What if he's working for someone who isn't?"

Ianto frowned. "We have to phone Jack."

* * *

Jack was driving as fast as he dare. The feeling that something was not right growing steadily.

It had been way too easy to contact that excuse for a person, and it was beginning to smell more and more like a big stinking set-up.

He put his foot down a little more, but nearly lost it as his phone trilled for attention.

"Harkness," he said.

"Jack, it's Ianto, you need to get back here, preferably yesterday."

The urgency in Ianto's voice made |Jack sit a little straighter.

"What's happened?" he asked, fearing the answer.

"You just need to get here," Ianto replied.

The tone of Ianto's voice was enough to tell him something was definitely up. He put the phone down and stomped on the accelerator.

* * *

White Coat slammed the phone down in disgust. He knew it had been a mistake to hire outside help.

He didn't care how many men had been killed. All he cared about was the fact that his property was now loose and uncontrolled.

This was unacceptable, as he had received a message only an hour ago, that his true employers were on their way, and were expecting results, and a delivery.

That gave him no more than 48hrs to find and extract some the Alpha Code from what for the moment was his property.

He had no doubt, that once his employers had what they wanted, they would dispose of the vessel that gave life to it, and he couldn't have that.

He always liked to have some sort of leverage, but at the moment, his leverage was roaming the streets of Cardiff.

"No, that won't do at all," he said and picked up the phone. "Have my shuttle and Delta squad ready to leave in fifteen minute."

* * *

White Coat's leverage was stumbling along the pier front, trying to avoid and being avoided by the people around him.

He stopped by the railings and looked down at the grey water.

It would be so easy, it really would, just to climb over the railing and drop. The water at this time year would kill a human within hours

If he slowed his metabolism down, it might take him just short of an hour.

"Yes, that's the best way. I die, it dies, simple really," he muttered.

Except the thing inside wouldn't let him, its survival instinct was too strong.

He let out a cry that was part pain, part frustration, as he felt the strength go from his legs.

"Let me die!" he yelled, causing passerby's to give him wary and uneasy glances.

The thing inside him hissed back, unable to comprehend the words he yelled.

It only knew one thing....survive....destroy...kill.

It fought against its host, who was stopping it from its purpose....there was so much life...so much blood.

It hissed again and once again tried to push itself into the part of it host's mind that had been shut off from it.

The Doctor cried out again as he felt the thing inside attack again.

"No!" he cried.

His cry caught the attention of two passing police officers.

"Are you alright sir?" one of them asked.

The second officer looked into the man's eyes. "Looks like he's on something, his eyes are really dilated. They look a little fuzzy too."

The first office looked as well. "You're right, better call an ambulance."

They both jumped when the man suddenly cried.

"No!"

The second officer put a restraining hand on the man. "It's alright, they can help you."

The man jumped at the officer's touch, like had been white hot.

Both officers were startled when he scuttled back and began climbing the railings. They both moved back, wary of forcing the man into jumping.

"Stay away!" the man yelled, as he wavered dangerously on the top railing.

The first officer said to the second. "Call that ambulance and get the SPO down here."

Whilst the other officer did so, the first officer walked slowly towards the man.

They were starting to draw a crowd, which could potentially drive the man into fatal action.

What either officer wasn't prepared for was the man leaping from the railing and sprinting off.

This is really not my day the first officer said, as he ran after the man.

* * *

Jack jogged across the Plas, heading towards the Hub.

At first he didn't take much notice of the crowd that was gathering near what looked like a media van.

Then he heard the sounds of sirens, and that feeling returned to his stomach.

He slowed, trying to see what was going on, but still head towards the Hub.

Then he saw Ianto and Martha emerged from the crowd, and he knew something was very wrong.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Jack didn't need to ask what was wrong. He could see it on Ianto and Martha's faces.

He knew it had something to do with the Doctor, he could feel it, and it didn't feel good.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't stop him," Ianto said, the apology thick in his voice.

"They wouldn't listen to us," Martha said.

Jack held up a hand, to silence them.

"One at a time!" he snapped. "I guess that means the Doctor, so he's up and he escaped," he said to Ianto.

He turned to Martha. "And who do you mean by them?"

Martha hesitated. "UNIT, the police, MI5, possibly the NSA. They're chasing him Jack, he's on the run, and they have no idea."

Jack's face hardened, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes...it was anger.

"I told them all to back off," he growled, and took out his phone.

"I don't care if he's busy. I want to talk to him....now!" Jack roared down the phone.

Jack was pacing up and down, occasionally glaring at the reporter who was making a sensational report about a man being chased through the abandoned part of the docks, and that the police considered then man to be a danger to the public.

Jack snorted, knowing this was a cover story put out by either UNIT, or one of the security agencies, that were now in hot pursuit.

"About time... what the hell are you doing chasing one of my cases across the city!"

Jack's face coloured as he listened to the reply.

"I don't give a rat's ass about Earth Security.....don't tell me to back off.....to hell with you!"

He turned back to Ianto and Martha. "Get the car!"

* * *

White Coat leaned forward in his seat, as he listened to the new report.

This made his task more difficult, but one had to be ready for the goal posts to be moved. At least he now knew where his property was, which would make it a little easier to contain it.

"Make sure you maintain the shielding, I don't want it or anyone to know we're coming," he said to the pilot.

"Yes sir, shields remaining up, one hundred percent, landing in five minutes."

White Coat nodded and turned to the man sitting behind him.

"Are your men in position?"

The man nodded. "Yes sir, once we're on the ground, we can pinpoint his location."

"Good, but remember, I want it unharmed."

"Yes sir."

"Coming up on the landing area sir," the pilot said.

"Excellent, take us in," White Coat said.

* * *

The Doctor kept running, even though his chest felt like it was on fire, and his hearts hammered against his chest.

He could hear the sounds of men in pursuit, the shouts of anger.

He'd tried his best to avoid them, he really had.

But they had found him, and the thing inside him had attacked.

He couldn't stop it, trapped as he was in the small part of his mind he'd managed to isolate. The screams of the men as they had succumbed had burnt into his soul.

This thing was killing......no, it wasn't killing.....it was changing them....why?

He slowed to a steady jog, needing to catch his breath. Hopefully he'd put enough space between himself and his current pursuers.

He had to find a hiding place, just so he could re-group and think of a way out of this.

What looked a large silo loomed in the dim light of the abandoned building he was currently inside. He stopped and looked up at the rusting hulk, and the unsteady looking ladder that clung to its side.

It wasn't the safest of hiding places, but it would do.

Quickly, but carefully he climbed the rusting ladder, and climbed down the equally rusting ladder on the other side.

Just as he stepped off the last rung, searing pain ran through him, and he collapsed to the floor of the silo, and knew nothing.

* * *

Jack thanked every god there was, that Martha hadn't removed the chip. The signal was weak, but it was there and it would get them to the Doctor before anyone else.

His head was spinning from what Martha and Ianto had told him, their theories on White Coat, which made awful sense to him.

But who the hell had the technology to tamper with the Doctor's DNA, and override his vastly superior immune system.

Whoever it was, he would deal with them. But first, he had to find the Doctor, and that, even with the chip to track him by, could be nigh on impossible.

He knew he had a fight on his hands, not just with UNIT or any of the others who wanted a piece of the Doctor.

He would have to fight White Coat, and worst of all, he may have to fight the Doctor.

* * *

The Doctor came too with a pain filled gasp.

He hadn't known that the ladder inside had been broken, and when the thing inside had struck again, he'd fallen.

He could feel something wet against his face, and after a few seconds realised it was blood...his blood.

He tried to move, but intense pain stifled his attempt, it felt like he had broken something, but he couldn't tell what. The thing inside was impairing his ability to assess damage, so he had no idea what, if anything was broken.

He could feel the thing stirring inside him.

He really should have jumped.

* * *

Jack looked up as he led Martha and Ianto across the rubble strewn landscape. He could have sworn he heard engines, but he couldn't see a helicopter.

They'd managed to avoid most of the many agents that were roaming the area, all searching for the Doctor.

They'd heard the angry shouts coming from the large derelict building that dominated this part of the docks.

They approached the building cautiously, spreading out when Jack gave them hand signals.

The inside was in no better condition than the outside, full of rubbish and disused machinery.

If the Doctor was in here, there were a hundred different places he could hide, Jack thought. He looked at the tracer, but it was about as much good as shouting hello, there was too much residual energy coming from somewhere.

"Really not in the mood for hide and go seek," he muttered.

He froze when he heard the sound of metal moving...could it be?

Slowly, and with every sense on full alert, he moved further into the building.

* * *

The Doctor tried again to reach for the broken ladder. His first attempt had missed by several feet, and he had landed awkwardly.

It didn't help that everything was blurred, and his stomach was threatening to leave via his throat.

He stood again, and a wave of dizziness caused him to stumble and bang against the side of the silo.

The sound echoed and threatened to deafen him.

He cursed silently, that could have been heard by anyone in the vicinity of the building.

"Nausea, dizziness and....and." He stopped talking, frowned, not sure what to say next.

"And....confusion, slow speech...equals....yes, fractured skull...not good...not good," he said.

He jumped again, and this time managed to grab hold of the last rung of the ladder.

He pulled himself up, hissing with the pain as he looked up.

Have to find.....find someone......Jack.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

White Coat stepped out of the shuttle, and wrinkled his nose at the smell that drifted on the breeze.

Sometimes he thought, why did his employers so desperately want this world, and its inhabitants?

It's not that he didn't want to know, it was better not to know. As long as he got what he wanted, he didn't care, he'd lived too long to care about such things.

The only thing he cared about at the moment was finding his property, and finding a way of spiriting it away from his employers and the numerous people that wanted it instead.

He heard the scuff of boots on rubble behind him. He didn't react when his newly appointed Security Chief stopped next to him.

"Sir, they're nearly in Earth orbit and are asking for an update."

White Coat sighed. "Tell them...nothing. No, tell them the rendezvous point has changed, give them these co-ordinates, they might come in handy."

"Yes sir...report from number five and seven. They've found Captain Harkness, and it looks like he's onto something."

White Coat smiled. "Excellent, tell them to follow but don't engage."

"Yes sir," he said and walked away, speaking into his comm.

White Coat let out a sigh, if he was lucky, something he did not believe in, he would soon be off this pathetic little planet.

He hadn't decided yet how he was going to spend the millions of credits that his employers had already paid him. A foolish thing for them to do, he would never trust that much.

And if the gods were with him, he would have his property and the ultimate in weapons, once he'd removed the thing that was now destroying it.

If that meant this dirty little planet was infested by it, fine. His employer's would get what they wanted, and he would be a wealthy and powerful and own the last of an ancient powerful race.

He turned back to where his Security Chief was relaying orders to his men.

"Take them out, no witnesses," he said before shutting off his comm.

He looked up as White Coat approached.

"Elimination taking place, they've already taken out the NSA and MI6 operatives They're now starting on UNIT."

The sound of gunfire filled the air.

Jack looked up at the gunfire, looking round, unsure of where it came from.

"Ianto, Martha, are you okay?" he said anxiously into his comm.

He sighed with relief when their voices came back.

"Jack, there's full on battle going on outside. I think its UNIT, not sure who they're fighting!" Martha shouted.

"Stay down, let Ianto know where you are," Jack ordered.

"Ianto, get to Martha, then get the hell out."

"What about you?" Ianto asked.

"Just do as I say Ianto!" he snapped.

"You've found him, haven't you," Ianto said. It wasn't a question, more a statement.

"He could, no will kill you," Ianto said.

"He might, but I have to try. Just find Martha and go," Jack replied

"I can't..."

"No!" Jack cut him off savagely. "I can come back if he kills me, you two won't!"

A burst of gunfire drowned out Ianto's reply, and his voice was replaced by the hiss of static.

"Ianto!" he hissed, a wave of panic rushing through him.

"Martha," he hissed again, but once again there was only static. Someone had blocked radio transmissions.

"Dammit!"

He was torn between going to find Ianto and Martha and following the sound.

His mind was made up for him, when there was another bang, something metallic moving, and he moved towards it.

The Doctor had made it out of the silo, just and was now stumbling his way to...where was he going?

He was trying to find...what was it?

Another wave of dizziness and now pain assaulted him, and he stumbled.

He fell against something. He peered at it through pain- fuzzed eyes...machinery of some sort.

He frowned...why was he here? Why couldn't he remember?

"Memory loss...definitely not good," he mumbled.

He frowned again...there was something?

Then he felt it, something in his head...and it wanted out!

Pain shot through him again, and this time it brought him to his knees.

He couldn't let it escape, it would destroy everything. He felt like his head was going to explode, and he couldn't stop himself from crying out.

White Coat looked up as the cry echoed around the empty space. That sounded like his property, and it was very close.

He snapped his fingers to get the attention of his Security Chief, and was about to move in the direction of that cry, when the air in front of him began to shimmer.

This really is the time, he thought, and plastered a smile on his face as several figures started to coalesce.

"Welcome my Lord, what an unexpected pleasure."

The figure he was addressing gave White Coat a look that was full of disdain.

"Liar, you stink of deception and decay. Where is our purchase?" the figure hissed.

White Coat swallowed before replying. He knew the possible outcome of lying to these particular individuals.

"It will be with us in a while."

The figure that had spoken closed the gap between itself and White Coat in two large strides.

"I hope you are not lying to me, or your ancient carcass will adorn my trophy wall. So, tell me why have you changed our rendezvous point?"

"My Lord, I thought you could have some sport, hunt some of the inhabitants before they are converted. I think you will find them worthy prey," White Coat said and bowed.

The figure considered White Coat's words then turned to his companions.

White Coat could only listen to the hisses and growls that was his employer's language.

The figure turned back to White Coat and reverted to human.

"It might be a distraction. However, business first, the virus, is it ready?"

White Coat smiled. "Yes my Lord, I would say this planet will be yours within one Earth day."

"Well done, but I was not pleased that you had to use our property to do so. I was against paying you before a successful conversion. I hope it has not been harmed?"

White Coat chose to ignore the threat in that question. "Of course, it is too valuable a prize to damage beyond repair. Once the virus had mutated, I can remove the code and he will be yours."

The figure nodded. "Good, then perhaps a little hunt will be entertaining."

White Coat smiled, everything was going to plan. With any luck, his employer's would either kill or be killed by Captain Harkness and his team, and he could walk away with his prize.

He had no intention of letting the virus loose on this planet. There were too many other potential clients who had an interest in Earth, wealthy potential clients.

Jack moved slowly, trying his best to avoid kicking the many pieces of scrap and rubble that were strewn on the floor.

If that cry belonged to who he thought it was, he really didn't want to spook him into running again.

He stopped when he heard footsteps to his right. He flattened against a rusting piece of machinery and held his breath as the footsteps came closer.


	14. Chapter 14

Jack forced himself not to move, not even twitch as the footsteps came closer. He almost lost it when he heard a voice to go with the footsteps.

The voice sounded confused, and the words were almost incoherent...and filled with pain.

"No...no...no... I can't," the voice said, steadily getting closer to where Jack was hiding.

"Have to...really should have jum..."

The words were cut off by a cry of pain, followed by the sound of flesh hitting metal.

Jack couldn't stand it, that cry of pain and the painful sound of flesh hitting metal. He stepped out, ignoring his senses screaming at him that this was a dumb-ass thing to do.

All those things drained away when he saw the Doctor, crumpled against a large pipe, legs moving in a feeble attempt to get up.

"Doctor!" he cried and rushed over, and grabbed hold of the Doctor.

* * *

The growled words that came from the Doctor caused Jack to rock back on his heels.

"Stay away from me!" the Doctor growled, trying to scrabble away from Jack.

"Doctor, it's me," Jack said, hoping that would calm him.

It didn't have the effect Jack wanted, as the Doctor continued in his effort to scrabble away.

"Doctor?" Jack said again, this time reaching out and touching the only part he could reach, Doctor's foot.

The Doctor tried to twist away, letting out a string of what sounded like swear words, if they'd been in the human tongue.

"Doctor, no!" Jack said, sounding angrier than he wanted to.

He paid for it as the Doctor lashed out with his other foot and caught Jack a crushing blow to his knee.

The sickening crunch of cartilage giving way filled Jack's ears, and the pain exploded in it about thirty seconds later.

He fell back, an unsolicited grunt of pain escaping his lips, but he didn't let go of the Doctor's other foot.

This seemed to enrage the Doctor who for the first time since Jack had grabbed hold of him, turned to face him.

Jack almost lost his grip on the Doctor when he saw the Doctor's face.

* * *

His skin was almost translucent, and Jack could see what looked like veins standing out. No, not veins, they were the same colour as the thread that he'd seen on the scanner.

"Doctor, no!" he shouted, trying to look the Doctor in the eyes.

But the Doctor's eyes weren't their normal soulful brown. They were clouded, like they were covered by cataracts.

With a snarl that would have cowed most people the Doctor twisted and wrenching his foot free from Jack's grasp, launched himself at Jack.

Jack could nothing to defend himself, as the pain from his damaged knee was overpowering.

So he went with the speed and the force of the Doctor's attack, landing heavily on his back.

Quelling his rising panic, he focused on forgetting the pain in his shattered knee. He felt the pain dissipate to a dull throb, and with a snarl that equalled the Doctor's, he went on the offensive.

With a surge of adrenalin fuelled anger, he threw the Doctor off him and despite the pain scrabbled up, ready to defend himself again.

But the attack never came, as the Doctor hadn't moved from where he'd landed.

He was curled up again, head covered by his arms, whimpering softly.

Jack crawled over to the Doctor and cautiously placed a hand on the Doctor's back.

"Doctor, it's me, Jack," he said softly.

"Jack?" the Doctor whispered. "Help me...please."

Jack moved his hand to the Doctor's shoulder. "Doctor, you have to let me see."

* * *

The Doctor shook his head, unwilling to turn, guilt flowing freely at his attack on Jack. He couldn't stop the thing inside. It had overwhelmed him, taking advantage of his confusion caused by the fracture to his skull.

He had fought back, as best as he could, in his confused state, driving the thing back from the place he was hiding in.

He could hear the pain in Jack's voice, and knew he must have injured him.

"Doctor, please, I have to see," he heard Jack.

He wanted help, but he was afraid, afraid of what the thing could and would do, Rassilon he wanted help...but would Jack do it?

"Jack, help me...please."

* * *

Jack felt a wave of sorrow pass over him at the Doctor's words. "You know I will. We can go back to the Hub. Martha can..."

He was interrupted by the Doctor, who tried to shift away from him again.

"No...Jack...need you to...to," his words cut off by a groan of pain.

Jack tightened his grip on the Doctor's shoulder.

"Let me take you back, we can get what you need."

He tried to lift the Doctor, but the Doctor tensed and Jack suddenly found the Doctor too heavy to lift.

"No Jack...no Torchwood! I need you...need you to."

Jack was getting frustrated; time wasn't exactly on his side.

With a flash of anger mixed with a feeling of helplessness, he managed to haul the Doctor round.

He was surprised to see the Doctor's eye were no long covered by the milky film, but brown, although dulled by some pain. He also noticed for the first time, the dried blood that stained the side of the Doctor's face.

"Come on Doc, we have to go. I can't help you, Martha can."

No!"

The Doctor struggled in his arms, and Jack began to wonder if the Doctor was just reacting and not recognising.

"Come on, I really can't help you. We need to get out of here," he said, trying to put as much urgency in his voice as he could.

"No, you have to..." the Doctor said again, his face furrowed in what could have been pain or confusion.

"I have to do what!" Jack snapped, now acutely aware that they may soon be discovered.

The Doctor blinked and seemed to be making a huge effort to focus on Jack's face, and when Jack looked into his eyes, they seemed to clear, almost back to the bright intelligence and curiosity that usually shone from them.

"Kill me."


	15. Chapter 15

The pain from Jack's knee faded away to nothing as his world contracted. He shook his head, not wanting to believe what he'd just heard.

The Doctor couldn't have just asked him to...no, he wouldn't believe it.

"Don't talk stupid, come one, before anyone else gets here."

He tried to move the Doctor again, but somehow the Doctor seemed immoveable.

"Kill me," he said again, this time with a harsh edge to his voice.

Jack ignored him and tried to lift him again.

"Kill me!"

This time the Doctor almost screamed the words, and shrugged Jack off like he was fluff on his coat.

Jack fell awkwardly, and in the seconds it took him to right himself, the Doctor was up and somehow to Jack's shock and consternation, had his pistol in his hands, and was placing it against his temple.

"Doctor, no!" he cried.

* * *

The Doctor looked at him, his eyes were wild and full of pain...and regret.

"I'm sorry Jack," he said quietly and started squeeze the trigger.

Time seemed to slow down, almost to a standstill as Jack watched in terror and horror as the Doctor started to squeeze the trigger.

He heard something on the edge of his hearing.

It sounded like a small exhalation of air, but it wasn't that which drew his attention.

It was the Doctor.

He seemed frozen, the gun still glued to his temple.

The moment was broken, when the Doctor's arm suddenly dropped and the gun dropped to the floor.

The Doctor's hand went to the back of his neck, and came away with a small dart. He looked at it, eyes no longer wild, but full of confusion and consternation.

"No," he finally said.

He staggered suddenly to one side, overbalanced and fell on his side, letting out a gasp of surprised pain.

He struggled to his feet, but fell again a few steps later, and this time he didn't get up.

* * *

Jack went to move, fear of where the dart had come from, pushing him out of his frozen state.

"Doctor?" he said.

But the Doctor wasn't listening. He was face down in the scrap metal and the dirt, unmoving.

"That's better," a voice said. "I really can't have the merchandise's brains spattered across the floor."

* * *

Jack's blood froze when he heard that voice, the source of all the Doctor's torment...White Coat!

Rage coursed through him, hot and violent.

He snarled, whipped round and went for the source of the torment, ignoring the pain that flared in his shattered knee.

"Bastard, this time I'll kill you," he screamed.

He only made it a few yards before something large and extremely solid barrelled into him.

He landed heavily, his breath knocked from him, but before he had time to recover, he was hauled by a pair of non-human hands...no claws.

The owner of the claws hauled Jack up with a hiss, and pulled the dazed captain up to his face.

"You will not touch him," it hissed.

Then it stopped and took in a long breath. Its reptilian eyes blinked then widened.

It hissed again before speaking. "This one smells different, he stinks of the Time Lord."

Dragging the still dazed Jack, the figure walked over to White Coat.

"Does this one belong to you?"

White Coat thought for a minute. Could he still use the good captain?

"I believe he is, always running this one."

The figure flung Jack at White Coat's feet. "Perhaps you should be less kind to your possessions, then perhaps they might obey you."

"I will take that under advisement," White Coat said. "Now, I think my Lord, we should depart. It is quite possible that UNIT or someone else may have reinforcements."

The figure looked at White Coat, then nodded.

"Agreed, I do not wish to spend anymore time on this smell-ridden planet. Do what you have to do, then bring him to me."

The figure turned away and hissed at the others that had accompanied them. A few seconds later, they disappeared in the shimmer of their trans-mat.

* * *

White Coat stared at the empty space for a second before turning to Jack, who was already recovering.

"You should be grateful Captain. I just saved your life."

Jack glared at White Coat, and injecting as much venom as he could muster into his voice, he spat.

"Cynrog, you're handing him over to the Cynrog!"

White Coat laughed. "Handing over the merchandise. Really Captain, I'd hardly call fifty million credits handing over. Besides, who says I'm handing anything over to anyone? Once I remove the virus, my deal with the Cynrog is over. They get what they want, which is Earth's population turned into a willing army, and I get what I want, the Time Lord."

Jack growled and tried to move again, but his knee gave way and he fell.

"Best not to move too much Captain, I will need you in reasonable health. It tends to help when you're going to be my bargaining chip."

He gestured to the same burly men that Jack had attacked back in the mountains.

"You, pick that up," he pointed to the Doctor. "And you, bring the Captain, and don't damage him any further, and hurry."

Jack could hear the sounds of booted feet on rubble, which meant that one of the groups, probably UNIT was back on the offensive.

"Yes, definitely time to go," White Coat said.

As Jack was dragged past White Coat he snarled. "Do the Cynrog know what a turncoat you are?"

White Coat just smiled, and as the other guard went past, the unconscious Doctor slung over his shoulder, he ran a hand over the Doctor.

"The sooner I remove the virus the better, you're looking a little worse for wear. Can't have that, you'll have to look your best for perspective customers. Back to the shuttle, quick as possible."

Jack tried his best to struggle, he really did, but handicapped as he was by his shattered knee, he was unable to stop himself being thrown into what looked like the cargo bay of the shuttle.

"Please be careful with that. If I find any extra bruising, it will come out of your wages," White Coat said as the man placed the Doctor on the floor next to Jack.

Jack could do nothing but glare at White Coat, who gave him a blatantly false smile, before the door shut, and he was left in semi-darkness with the Doctor.

* * *

He had no idea how long they had been in flight, but it must have been some time, as the Doctor was now starting to come round.

Jack shuffled over to the Doctor, who was now moving slowly, small groans accompanying every movement.

Doctor?" he said, and tentatively put a hand on the Doctor's shoulder.

The Doctor twitched, groaned and turned onto his back.

In the half- light Jack could see the Doctor was awake, but he was focused on the Doctor's eyes.

They glittered in the semi-darkness, tears falling in a glistening trail down his cheeks.

"Doctor?" Jack said again.

The Doctor didn't turn at Jack's voice, but stared up at the ceiling of the shuttle.

"You should have killed me," he said and turned his head away from Jack.

"You should have killed me."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen **

Martha ducked again as another of those lizards...no Cynrog lumbered past. She suppressed a shudder...Cynrog, of all of the things that wanted a piece of the Doctor, it had to be the Cynrog.

As she watched the lizard disappear round a corner, question started flooding into her head.

Why were they here? Did they want the Doctor for the same reason?

She shook her head... no, that couldn't be it. As far as she knew, Balor was still locked in the canister the Doctor had put him in.

Then what? Could it be revenge, were the Cynrog that petty, perhaps? But then surely they would have just killed him, and what did it have to do with White Coat?

She froze again at the crunch of boots on rubble, and tensed ready to pounce if the owner of the boots came too close.

She only relaxed, when a familiar voice hissed. "Martha!"

She stepped out, just as Ianto was emerging from behind a half ruined concrete pillar.

"Over here," she hissed back, and gestured for Ianto to hurry over, as the sound of many boots filled the air.

* * *

Ianto was so relieved when he saw Martha step from behind the ruined wall of the building.

He'd just about given up hope of finding her, having spent the last few minutes trying to avoid the battle that had been raging, then UNIT troops, and then lizards in armour.

He had no idea what species the lizards were, but they definitely did not look friendly.

So he was overjoyed to see Martha, and he sprinted over the distance between his hiding place and hers.

"Did you see those lizard things? What the hell are they?"

"They're called Cynrog. Remember when Jack and I were lost in the rainforest, it was because of them."

Ianto frowned, yes... now he remembered, they had...

"They want the Doctor don't they?" he said.

"They must..."

* * *

Martha never finished her sentence as two things happened at once.

The owners of the boots poured round a corner, dozens of black uniformed UNIT soldiers, who suddenly looked up as something appeared over the roof of the building.

It looked like the same craft Martha had seen way back at Cold Runs Deep, which meant it could only be one person...White Coat!

"No, dear god, not him!"

Three dozen UNIT soldiers looked as one in the direction the words had come from.

"You behind the wall, out with your hands up! We won't hesitate to blast that wall apart if you don't!"

Martha frowned, she recognized that voice, that distinct Welsh female voice...Gwen!

She looked at Ianto, who had the same look of relief on his face, and they both moved to their own edge of the ruined wall, and moved out into the open, hands above their heads.

The soldiers tensed as they walked out, and several shuffled forward, restraints in hand.

"No, there's no need, they're Torchwood," the woman in charge ordered and walked over to the pair.

When she was a few paces away, she let a huge grin break onto her face.

"Oh my god, I thought I was too, the place looks like Custer's Last Stand."

Gwen looked behind them and frowned. "Where are Jack and the Doctor?"

Ianto and Martha looked at each other and then at Gwen.

* * *

Jack paled and took in a sharp breath, not understanding why the Doctor still wanted him to kill him...no murder him.

"Why?" he asked, his voice choked with disbelief.

But the Doctor didn't answer, he remained silent, his back now turned to Jack, the picture of abject misery.

Jack sat back, knowing that he could ask the question a million time, and never get an answer. If the Doctor wasn't going to answer, he wasn't going to answer.

"Wonder where he's taking us, not to the Cynrog, that's for sure," he said, glancing over at the Doctor's still form.

However the Doctor hadn't moved, stubborn to the last Jack thought, so he spoke again.

"I said Cynrog, you know, big lizard people, long on vengeance, short on hygiene."

Still silence from the Doctor, so Jack gave up and sat back against the wall of the shuttle cargo bay.

His mind wandered, back to when they'd never heard of White Coat, and the Doctor had been the free-spirited Time Lord that had travelled through space, blazing a trail of light as he went.

I really should have killed him, when he had the chance, oh so long ago, back in the Hub. Then none of this would have happened, and the Doctor would have begged him to kill him.

He looked over at the Doctor whose back was still turned to him, looking more like a ghost than a person.

"I should have never listened to you. I should have killed him. Sometime killing is the only way."

He wasn't expecting an answer, so he was caught off-guard when the Doctor spoke.

* * *

"No, killing is never the answer. Killing him may have stopped what happened, but it may not have, so no, you shouldn't have killed him."

The Doctor turned to face Jack, and Jack could see his face was no longer translucent, but still pale.

He had a strange look in his eyes, a mixture of pain, sorrow and resignation.

"What's meant to happen will happen, not even I can stop it."

Jack looked at the Doctor. "You can't believe that, all that pain, the torture, the things he made happen."

"What, letting the darker side of me out, that's part of me Jack, and you know it. It's always there, waiting for the crack in the door, the unlocked window. One day it might be all I am."

"No, I won't believe that!" Jack said sharply.

"Then one day you may live to regret not killing me. Do you know why I asked you to kill me?"

Jack looked at the Doctor. "You have to regenerate to get rid of that thing inside you," he said quietly.

The look the Doctor gave Jack was one of overwhelming sadness.

"I'm sorry Jack, but no. It's the thing inside me that's holding that back. Once White Coat removes it, I'll be gone and he will be back. I don't want that, not again."

The Doctor stopped for a few seconds before speaking again...his voice was soft, laced with sadness.

"I'd rather be dead."

* * *

Jack stopped breathing, unable to take a breath as the Doctor said those words, ones he never thought would pass the Doctor's lips.

"You can't mean that," he finally said.

The Doctor went to reply, but the shuttle suddenly lurched to one side, and there was the ominous groan of overstressed metal.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Martha clung onto the bar at her side as the aircraft she was in twisted suddenly to its right. This was like the wildest and most dangerous rollercoaster ride she'd ever been on.

She'd marvelled at the way Gwen had taken charge, so much so, she felt sorry for the poor UNIT Colonel who'd tried to stand in her way. He'd be nursing his bruise for quite a while.

Now she was beginning to regret her decision to get onboard the craft.

She had thought they were going to give chase in one of UNIT's helicopters, and had wished that the Valiant hadn't been destroyed during the Dalek invasion.

What she wasn't expecting was what looked like a sleeker, more streamlined version of a stealth plane. It was only when she climbed inside she could tell it wasn't just a stealth plane.

"Sontaran technology, we reverse engineered from one of their crashed pods. We only have two at the moment, but they're the only thing that has a hope of keeping up with that shuttle," the pilot said as he taxied the craft up the runway.

Martha looked over at Gwen, who was also clinging on, as the craft executed another stomach-twisting turn.

She could hear the pilot and the co-pilot, words going back and forth, in short staccato bursts.

"Target sighted, arm lasers, aim for the engines, force it down."

Martha and Gwen looked at each other, knew that what they were going to was dangerous, even fatal, but it had to be done.

* * *

The shuttle lurched again and the pilot frantically tried to steady it.

"If they hit us again sir, we'll go down!" he shouted to the person sitting just behind him.

White Coat steadied himself and glared out of the shuttle window. All he could see was the vast empty expanse of the sea beneath him.

He cursed the shuttle's limited range, wishing he'd used the long –range shuttle instead. He'd only used this shuttle because it was faster and more manoeuvrable.

"Can you keep it in the air until we reach the portal, it should only be a few more minutes?"

The pilot wrenched the shuttle to the right as another flash of light lit the inside of the shuttle.

"I think so. It would be easier if that stealth wasn't on my ass."

White Coat nodded. "I think I can help there."

* * *

Gwen was starting to feel sick, the twists and turns of the stealth fighter were increasing, as the shuttle that was just ahead was trying to avoid being brought down.

She looked over at Martha, who was looking an unhealthy shade of green.

They both looked at the co-pilot when he said. "Is that the cargo bay opening?"

* * *

The Doctor and Jack were bracing themselves against the walls of the cargo bay, as the shuttle twisted and shifted violently.

Any further conversation was impossible, as they were too pre-occupied with not being two stones in a tin can.

They both sighed when the shuttle seemed to steady, and they began to gather their wits.

They both looked up when a door opened and White Coat and the two overlarge guards stepped in.

"That one, throw him out."

* * *

Martha and Gwen looked on in horror as the cargo bay of the shuttle was indeed opening.

"Get closer, I have to see!" Gwen shouted.

The pilot accelerated and brought the craft level with the rear of the shuttle.

The cargo bay door was almost half-open and Martha and Gwen could just about see what looked like two people struggling.

"I can't see, what the hell is going on!" Martha yelled.

The co-pilot leaned forward and let out a gasp of surprise. "They're trying to throw someone out!"

* * *

The Doctor looked on in horror as the burly guard struggled with Jack, trying to drag him towards the slowly opening cargo bay door.

He tried once again to break free of the guard that had a pretty good full nelson on him.

"What are you doing!" he yelled, aiming the question at White Coat, who was standing in the doorway.

White Coat smiled. "Just a little distraction, can't have them following us."

The Doctor frowned at that statement.

"There already following..." Then it dawned on him. "A portal...you've got a portal."

White Coat laughed. "Of course, I always have a plan B. But you won't be worrying about that, you'll be too busy."

"I'll die first!" the Doctor cried.

"Oh, I don't think so," White Coat smiled.

"Think again!" the Doctor yelled.

The guard holding the Doctor let out a cry of pain, as he felt his wrist snap.

He let go of the Doctor, who with a look full of contempt directed at White Coat, flung himself across the still bucking shuttle.

The movement caused Jack and the guard to stop their struggle, as the Doctor barrelled past them.

"No!" Jack screamed.

The Doctor slid to a halt at the edge of the ramp, and turned.

"I'm sorry Jack," he said.

Turning away, he took in a deep breath and jumped.

* * *

"No!" Martha screamed as she saw a figure standing and the edge of the now fully open cargo bay door.

She didn't need to see the figure's face. The long tan coat told her exactly who it was.

"No!" she screamed again as the figure jumped.

Then the figure was lost to her sight, as the pilot of the stealth had to violently wrench the controls to avoid the falling figure.

Everything in Martha's world shrank, until all she could see was the figure falling...falling.

Her world came back loudly as Gwen was screaming at the pilot to "Turn this thing round!"

Her vision snapped back into focus as the pilot reacted to Gwen's outburst, and sent the stealth into a gut-twisting turn.

The shuttle loomed into view and this time Gwen let out a startled gasp...someone else was on the edge of the ramp!

* * *

Jack had been frozen in shock, his heart stopping for a few beats when the Doctor had disappeared of the edge of the ramp.

"No!" he cried again.

Shock was replaced by rage, un-tempered blind rage, not just at White Coat and his heavies, but at the Doctor as well.

With a bellow of rage, he tore himself free from the grip of the guard who was holding him, and landed a swift and savage blow to the man's temple.

Caring not if he'd killed him, he turned and looked at White Coat, murder in his eyes.

"Next time!" he snarled and ran for the ramp, not stopping to look back, and leapt.

* * *

All things considered, it was one of the longest and most unusual ways he'd died, plus it was very cold, and his suit was getting ruined, and his coat...Rassilon, he loved this coat, Janice Joplin have given him this coat.

It's funny the things that go through your mind when you're plummeting to your death.

He wished there could have been a better way, but he couldn't see it.

If Jack wasn't willing to kill him, then the only way left was suicide, even if every fiber of his body was screaming no at him.

Suicide was not a natural state of being for a Time Lord, the part of him not yet infected by the thing inside was screaming at him.

He tried to focus on the water that was still a distant speck below, this was going to be painful, but painful was good... at least it meant he could still feel something.

At least it would be quick, albeit briefly painful, and the vast ocean would swallow his body.

No more stealing his DNA...no more using his body as an incubator for creatures or diseases. No more of his dark side causing woe and chaos...and hurt.

No regrets then...no, only one...leaving behind those he cared about, and cared about him in return.

He'd seen Jack's face, heard the heartbreak in his voice.

For a second...just a second, he hesitated, unsure as to whether it was the right thing to do.

Then he'd felt the thing inside move again, and he had seen White Coat and all indecision disappeared.

Now the water was rushing towards him, grey and unforgiving. At this time of year, if the fall didn't kill him, the cold water certainly would.

He didn't panic; no point really. How far now? A thousand feet, less?

He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the moment, turning his sight inwards.

He could see the red grass of his home world that stretched for endless miles. He could see the Mountains of Perdition, in all their snow-capped majesty...so beautiful; he could almost feel the chilled air.

Then he felt nothing but pain as he hit the water, and then nothing but the grey coldness.

* * *

Jack hadn't thought about what he was doing, he had acted out of anger and instinct.

Now as he fell through the air, trying to look for the Doctor through wind stung eyes, he wondered what the hell he was doing.

He had no idea where the Doctor was. Was he still falling, or had he already hit the water, and was shattered and broken like a toy.

He was glad he'd taken that course in free-falling, but never knew he would ever need to use it, and without a parachute. Lucky then that I can't die.

He blinked to clear his eyes and tried to scan the grey water beneath him...nothing...no wait...there...was it? Yes, a flash of tan material...just sinking beneath the waves.

A wave of hope flooded through Jack, and as the water rushed towards him he took one final breath before life left him as he hit the water.

* * *

White Coat moved to the edge of the ramp and stared down at the sea below. He said nothing, but a muscle twitched along his jaw.

Still saying nothing, he walked back into the cabin of the shuttle, and sat down. He turned to the pilot, who was now getting back control of the shuttle.

"Get this thing to the portal," he growled.

He took out his phone and dialled. "Contact my operative in Calais. I want the bodies. I can still use its body, and if anyone gets in your way, kill them."

* * *

The pilot and the co-pilot ignored the screams of the two women to turn back and find the two people that had fallen...no jumped from the shuttle.

Their target was slowly gaining speed and altitude, and they needed to bring it down.

They both blinked when the shuttle suddenly accelerated and disappeared in a flash of white light...the shuttle was gone.

The pilot suddenly froze as he felt cold metal against his neck.

"Turn this thing around, turn it around now."

A few hours later Gwen and Martha were standing on the deck of a UNIT patrol boat, trying to scan the slate grey water in the fading light.

They'd searched every drop of water within thirty miles of where they thought both the Doctor and Jack would have entered the sea.

But there was nothing, the sea was as empty, and now there was a storm rolling in, and the UNIT boat was heading for the safety of Dover.

"They survived, I know they did," Gwen said, more hopeful than she actually felt.

"Yeah," Martha said, before turning away from the sea and disappearing back into the warmth of the boat's interior.

Gwen took one last look out at the already choppy water.

"I know you survived, you have to," she said quietly, before leaving the sea to its storm.

* * *

The sea swirled and moved like a living thing, tossed and whipped by the wind that howled across it.

Any living soul that had sense was far away, either safe in their homes or deep under the restless water.

A large wave loomed out of the dark, devoid of life...or was it?

A dark shape...no two dark shapes appeared on the crest of it, looking like two pieces of flotsam.

The wave rose and crested, falling like an angry waterfall, before starting to rise again.

One dark shape appeared again and it was swimming, and holding onto the other dark shape.

There was no-one to hear the dark shape say to the other.

"Hold on, you have to hold. Please Doctor, hold on."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Jack burst back to life under the water, after a few seconds of confusion, he started looking round.

It was almost impossible to see in the grey murk... and it was so cold. How was he going to find the Doctor?

His lungs started to protest at their lack of oxygen, so he began swimming up to the surface. He really didn't want to die again.

The sea was not as calm as it had been when he'd crashed into it, the sky was growing darker, and the waves were starting to peak, whipped up by an increasing wind.

Panic started its inevitable rise, but he quickly quashed it, it wouldn't help. The odds of the Doctor being within eyeshot were beyond impossible and finding him alive would be miraculous.

He saw another wave looming and taking a breath, he submerged once more into the grey of the water, and almost had the breath knocked from him, when something hit him.

* * *

White Coat waited impatiently while the pilot carefully manoeuvred the shuttle onto the deck. He stepped out and waved the pilot away, not turning to watch as it rose into the storm-ridden sky.

"Welcome aboard, sir!" a man in uniformed barked out and saluted.

"Yes, yes, shall we get on? I assume you have some idea as to where to look?" White Coat said as he stepped into the control room.

The uniformed man nodded and closed the entrance behind him. "Yes sir."

"Good, then let us not waste anymore time, take us down Captain."

"Yes sir!"

The Captain moved to the centre of the room. "All hands, prepare to dive!"

"Aye sir, preparing to dive!"

White Coat sat in the chair provided and watched as the calls came from different parts of the room. He felt the slow but steady descent as the submarine disappeared beneath the storm-tossed waves.

He smiled to himself; it seemed he'd killed the proverbial two birds. He wouldn't have to worry about the Cynrog, they'd never find him, and if he was extremely lucky, he could still extract DNA and RNA from the body of his property. It would save him the time and effort of once again trying to bring his property to heel, he could grow himself a willing pit-bull, with all the knowledge and no moral compass.

Yes, that would do him nicely, although if by some miracle his property survived its suicide attempt, he may just use more brutal techniques to subdue it. Why have a poor copy, if you could salvage the original.

"How long before you reach the area?" he asked.

"Depends on the storm and the tide sir," the captain answered.

White Coat nodded. "Very well, I shall be in my quarters, inform me when you have something positive to report."

"Yes sir!" the captain saluted the retreating back of White Coat. "Steady as you go, keep a close eye on the radar and sonar."

The chorus of "yes sirs!" came back.

The submarine slid through the water, its dull steel shape looking very much like a shark searching for prey.

* * *

Martha sat watching the storm from the warmth of the cafe, the mug of coffee forgotten and going cold in front of her.

She was waiting for Gwen to come back from calling Ianto. She had gone to find a phone, as the storm was interfering with their mobiles.

She was still angry with UNIT, as they had assumed that the Doctor at least was dead, and they didn't seem to care about Jack at all.

They were on their own again, nothing new there, but it meant they had to wait for the storm to die out before they could do anything.

Martha had the awful feeling that they wouldn't be the only ones looking. It wouldn't surprise her, not in the slightest if White Coat wasn't looking for them as well.

She shuddered at that thought, the images flashing through her head as to what he would do with the Doctor, dead or alive.

She didn't want to think about the Doctor being dead, even if his leap had been a suicidal one. She could only hope that somehow Jack had found him and was now trying to rescue his sorry Time Lord arse.

She looked up as the door opened, and a windswept and damp Gwen stepped inside. She spotted Martha and moved over to sit opposite her.

"Ianto will be here as soon as he can. I spoke to the Harbour Master, the Rescue Services are too stretched to help, there's a container ship in trouble just off the Straits of Dover."

"So we have to wait, but they could have been swept hundreds of miles away by now!" Martha said her temper still not cooled down from her argument with the UNIT commander. "Why wouldn't they help us?"

Gwen sighed. "I guess the Doctor's no use to them dead, and Jack, well, he's a thorn they've wanted to remove for ages. I think they'd be quite happy to see him just disappear."

Martha let out an annoyed huff of air. "Then how the hell are we going to find them?"

Gwen placed a hand on Martha's. "Have faith Martha, faith in them, and the fact that Ianto's sister's best friend's cousin's uncle has a deep sea trawler here at Dover."

* * *

Jack surfaced again, spitting out cold salty water, and began looking round for what had hit him...and then he saw something beyond impossible.

That had been several hours or a life time ago. He'd lost all feeling in his arms, in fact most of his body. But he still clung to the figure, fear making his grip vice-like.

He was fighting his fatigue and the storm...and the cold.

It would be so easy to drift off. To close his eyes and succumb to the warmth that was now creeping up his body.

He closed his eyes...just to sleep for a few minutes.

Something touched his face and his eyes opened, and widened in surprise.

A pair of weary brown eyes looked back at him, crease lines wrinkled by the frown of concern that was etched on the owner of the eyes face.

"Doctor," Jack said, his voice hoarse with the salt and the cold and the effort of keeping himself and the Doctor afloat.

The Doctor didn't reply, only stared at Jack, his eyes said the words...and they were words that sent Jack into a panic.

"No, hold on. Doctor you have to hold on!"

The Doctor shook his head and said only three words.

"Save yourself Jack."

With strength Jack didn't think the Doctor had, he broke the grip Jack had on him and pushed away. He was gone. Lost to the storm.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

Warmth wrapped itself around him, and it felt good. He shifted, trying to pull the blankets closer to himself...wait a minute, blankets?

Jack opened his eyes and blinked several times...this definitely wasn't the sea it.

"No!" he shouted and tried to sit up, but a hand on his chest stopped him, and pushed him back down.

"Don't even try to sit up," a familiar voice said.

A familiar face swam into view. It was Ianto, a frown of concern creasing his face.

Jack pushed against Ianto's hand, determined to get up, he had to go back, back to the water...the Doctor.

But Ianto pushed back and Jack gave him a warning growl.

"No Jack, he's gone," Ianto said, ignoring the warning from Jack.

"Ianto, let me up, he's not gone, he's not."

Ianto let out a long breath before getting up turning away, and picking something up, then turning back.

Jack took in a sharp breath; it was a tan coat...a tan coat he recognized.

"I'm sorry Jack, but they said no-one could survive that long in the water, and his body could have been swept hundreds of miles, or be at the bottom."

Ianto laid the coat on the bed and stepped back as Jack picked it up.

"I had it dry cleaned, it was ...it smelt of...I'm sorry, I know how you..."

"Get out!" Jack snarled.

Ianto blinked. "Jack..."

"Just get out!" Jack roared.

Ianto flinched and without being told again, he backed away and left, closing the door behind him.

Jack pulled the coat close to his chest, even though it had been dry-cleaned, he could still smell the Doctor's unique scent...honey, almonds, ginger and something he could never recognize, something uniquely Time Lord.

He couldn't be gone, he would feel it if he was gone...surely?

He felt the sudden hot prickle of tears and he broke down, crying silent tears into the soft wool of the coat...realizing that for once his Doctor may not have survived.

* * *

The sailor on watch held on tightly to the railings, the boat was rolling violently in the storm. If he was captain, he would have stayed in port, not even the hundred thousand pound cargo they had caught would have made him brave this storm.

He was about to turn away and go back into the warmth of below decks, when he thought he saw something...something in the water.

He shook his head, went to move but then stopped and looked again...there was something in the water...it looked like...a body!

"Man overboard!" he yelled as he ran into the mess deck, startling the others, before running out again.

He was leaning over the railing when the captain joined him.

"What do you mean 'man overboard'...?"

"There!" the other man said, pointing.

The captain looked in that direction...he was right, just off the ship's bow was a body.

"Get the spare net...now!" the captain bellowed.

* * *

For some reason an old Gallifreyan song echoed in his head, one he'd heard a long time ago.

"_The sea it took my love today, wrapped him in its cold embrace. The sea it took my hearts today, today it took my love away."_

He jerked awake when he felt something warm against his forehead.

The person who had pressed the warm cloth against the still unconscious man's forehead jumped when he jerked awake.

"Well that was unexpected," he said calmly, placing the cloth back into the bowl of slightly steaming water.

The person tried to sit up, but flopped back onto the bed, a grimace of pain on his face.

"It's best not to move, you took a nasty crack to the old noggin. It'll be a few hours before we can reach port, so rest, get some sleep."

The person looked at him, a frown on his face. "How did I...?"

"That can wait until you get to the port, you need to rest. I've left you some water, you're dehydrated."

The man stepped away and turned the light off as he left, leaving the cabin door slightly ajar to let a small chink of light into the room.

* * *

The Doctor looked at the open door, listening intently, waiting until he could no longer hear the footsteps of the man.

He threw back the covers and sat up, ignoring the pain and the dizziness. The thing inside him was still very much alive.

With a sad exhalation of breath he stood, which was probably a mistake as a wave of nausea roiled through his stomach...the fracture to his skull, it wasn't get any better.

Slowly and a little more carefully than he normally would, he padded across the floor, noticing for the first time that he was barefoot and not in his suit.

Shrugging, it didn't matter, the fish wouldn't care if he was well dressed or not.

He'd only got half-way along the small passage way when the boat suddenly lurched, and the passage way went dark.

* * *

White Coat watched the sonar ping off the shape on the surface. He wasn't about to attack a possibly armed to the teeth UNIT ship if his property wasn't on board.

He was waiting, waiting for one of his toys to finish its job, only a few more moments. He looked at the hand-held scanner and second later...yes there it was, the distinctive double heart beat of his property, and it was not a UNIT ship.

"We have confirmation, retrieve my property captain."

* * *

The Doctor was stuck between the exit to the deck and the darkened passage way. He could hear the shout of the crew of the boat, and he could feel the boat start to become un-balanced...it must have been hit by something.

He flinched when he heard the sound of gun-fire.

"No, no, not again...please!"

More innocent people dying because of him...he had to get off the boat.

He stepped out of the exit door and only made it a few steps before he was stopped by a group of armed men.

The Doctor watched the trawler sink beneath the water from the inflatable craft as it sped away.

He looked away and towards wherever the small craft was going.

His eyes widened in surprise at what he saw... was that a submarine?

The boat glided up to the side of the submarine and the Doctor was pushed up the ladder and down into the innards of the sub.

He was pushed along the narrow corridor to what looked like a control room.

Someone was sitting in a chair, its back to him.

The occupier of the chair stood up... and the Doctor paled, as he recognized the now very familiar white jacket.

"Welcome back, that was a very stupid thing to do, you could have damaged yourself."

White Coat moved closer to the Doctor, who was suddenly paralyzed by fear.

He flinched when White Coat ran a finger down his cheek.

"I see you've managed to resist the virus, no matter, it needs to be removed. But that's not your concern. Now I have you back, I'm going to make sure you never do that again. Put him in the brig."

With that he turned away and ignored the Doctor as he was dragged away.

"Back to the base sir?" the captain asked.

"Yes, back to the base."

* * *

The Doctor huddle in the corner of the small cell, now realizing that he was never going to get away from White Coat...unless.

Wearily he closed his eyes and reached out, searching for the thread that bound him to his protector and constant companion...his home.

Where was it, why couldn't he find it...no there, but it was so faint, so far away.

He felt the TARDIS answer his call, could hear the desperate tone to its voice as it tried to strengthen the bond.

Blinding pain suddenly ripped through his head and he cried out.

"I can't...it hurts!" he cried. "Please ...you have to... go...to him...he can...please!"

The pain became overwhelming and he clutched his head, as if trying to shut out the pain.

He felt more than heard the reluctant compliance and broke down as he felt the bond between them cut, and for the first time in his nine hundred year existence, he felt alone.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Jack tried to sleep, but he couldn't, his mind was full of thoughts of a man in a pinstriped suit, and his heart was full of pain at his loss.

But eventually tiredness overcame him and he drifted off to sleep. That was until he felt something warm against his chest...no not warm...hot...the TARDIS key!

He was suddenly very awake, and as he sat up, the familiar sound of an ancient engine started to fill the room, and the shape of a wooden box began to form.

His heart began to race, he knew the Doctor couldn't be dead, and he come back for him.

He was up and dressed in moments, and was waiting for the door to open and a certain Time Lord to appear at the door.

He frowned when nothing happened, so he stepped inside and found something wrong...so very wrong.

The interior was no longer the subtle shades of greens and golds, but a sickly mixture of oily black and red...and what was that noise?

It sounded like a bell.

Something was wrong, very wrong.

* * *

.

The Doctor opened his eyes, and a pain filled tear ran down his cheek.

"Find me please," he whispered.

* * *

The oily red light made the inside of the TARDIS look like a smaller version of hell, and the sound of that bell made it worse.

Jack had started at the hellish sight and was only distracted from it by the TARDIS door slamming shut.

"No, no, no!" he yelled. "You have to go back, the others!"

He tried to change the direction, but he was rewarded with a mild electric shock. He tried once more, only to be shocked again.

He was now watching text flow across the computer screen at a tremendous rate, too fast for him to read.

"I can't understand, it's too fast, slow down!" he yelled. "And what is it with the bell!"

Jack started when there was suddenly deafening silence, and the oily red light began to fade, until it was almost back to the gold and green.

The TARDIS let out a low groan and the screen in front of Jack went dark, the instruments on the console began flickering.

Jack stood back from the console, unsure of what was happening. Something must have happened to the Doctor for the TARDIS to be in such distress... but what?

He wasn't prepared for what came next and he staggered back.

Images flashed through his mind...water...steel...confinement...pain...dear god the pain!

He let out a cry and would have fallen to the grating if the pilot's seat hadn't magically appeared behind him.

He took a few breaths before speaking. "I'm sorry, I just don't understand."

The TARDIS gave what sounded like a huff of annoyance and once again images flashed through Jack's head.

This time Jack did understand as what looked like a submarine flashed like silver in his mind. He took in a sharp breath when he saw an image of the Doctor, curled up on the floor of what might have been a cell, and he physically recoiled when the image of White Coat flashed up.

"No, please, not again!" he cried.

He was off the pilot seat and grabbed hold of the console. "I have to save him... can you find him!"

The TARDIS let out another groan, and the image of the Doctor flashed through Jack's mind again, followed by what looked like a golden thread of energy that was fading in and out of existence.

Jack frowned...was that the telepathic link between the Doctor and the TARDIS?

A soft hum from the TARDIS told Jack his guess had been right.

Then it dawned on him. "You can't do it on your own, something's affecting the link."

The TARDIS hummed again, and this time a silver thread appeared in Jack's mind, strong and shining brightly.

"Is that me?" he asked, and was rewarded with a warm draught of air across his face.

"Can I reach him?"

The TARDIS let out a rumble, and Jack saw in his mind the silver thread start to mix with the golden thread.

He let out a sudden gasp as intense pain shot through him.

"Doctor!" he gasped.

* * *

The Doctor was curled up against the wall of his small cell, his whole body trembling with the misery of separation from the TARDIS.

He still hadn't truly recovered from the separation he had forced upon himself and the TARDIS all those months ago, and he'd clung to it like a telepathic life line ever since, and the TARDIS had reciprocated, even when he was lost to the dark side of himself, she had always been there, on the edges of his mind, waiting, waiting for him to come back.

Now the link had been too weak to sustain, weakened as he was by the thing that was growing inside and the fracture to his skull that he was too weak to heal.

He cursed Rassilon for giving Time Lords such a strong will to live, when all he wanted to do was die.

Another wave of pain sent fiery trails through his body, so painful that he almost missed something brushing his psychic self.

As the pain subsided he felt it...could it be?

No, it didn't feel like the TARDIS, nor was the colour right. It was silver not gold...what or who was it?

Then he heard a whispered name, and he recognised the silver thread...Jack!

Oh thank Rassilon...he wasn't alone.

Another wave of pain struck and the thing inside him suddenly moved and a crack appeared in the barrier he'd managed to throw up as the thing attacked his mind.

If Jack didn't find him soon, it would be too late...White Coat would have what he wanted and the Cynrog would have a world full of willing cannon fodder.

"Jack, help me... please," he whispered as the pain became too much and he fell into darkness.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Jack let out a startled gasp as he felt and saw the silver thread wink out of existence...no not quite, it was still there, but only a small glimmering line in a world of darkness.

He was overcome by a feeling of joy...joy that the Doctor was alive, joy that there was a way of finding he was also overcome by rage, not hot uncontrollable rage, but cold unpredictable rage.

He was going to find and save the Doctor, and then he was going to do what he should have done a long time ago.

He was going to kill White Coat.

* * *

Martha had been the first to hear the TARDIS and began the dash back to the room where Jack was, if the TARDIS was coming, that could only mean one thing...the Doctor.

She was quickly joined by Ianto and Gwen, both hoping the same thing.

They burst into the room just as the wooden blue box was fading, and stopped in stunned silence, staring at the empty space.

Ianto sat down heavily on the now empty bed. "He left, he's abandoned us!"

Martha sat down beside him. "No Ianto, I don't think he has. Why would the Doctor come just for Jack? I know him better than that. There's something else going on, I'm sure there is, I can feel it."

"She's right Ianto, if he'd left us, he wouldn't have left these," Gwen said, holding up his holster with his gun still in it. "Whatever happened, it was quick and unexpected."

* * *

The Doctor struggled against the darkness and the pain, and against the thing that was trying to squeeze through the crack that it had made in his mental defence.

He wanted, needed to find that silver thread, find Jack again and never let go.

Wading through the darkness was like pushing through treacle. He used what strength he had to push the thing back, not stopping to think it was too easy, so intent was he on grabbing hold of that silver thread.

He opened his eyes slowly and froze...something was wrong, why was it still dark...no please, he couldn't be...he was blind!

He jumped when the door to his cell opened and didn't struggle when he was dragged up and out of the knew he was going somewhere, but relying on just your hearing wasn't flinched when his hearing was assailed by the sounds of metal and footsteps and many voices.

Wherever he was, it wasn't the submarine.

He didn't struggle when they dragged him along a corridor or protest when he was slammed against a wall and heard and felt the chains as he was shackled.

He listened as the footsteps retreated and the door was slammed shut, and once he was alone he let himself hang from the shackles.

He let out a misery filled sob, he didn't have the energy to seek out that silver thread, nor did he have the strength anymore to fight the thing inside.

If this was to be his fate, then let it...he couldn't fight anymore.

* * *

Jack once again reached out to the silver thread, but reeled back when the TARDIS suddenly shuddered.

He didn't need the connection to feel what came next.

The misery slammed into him like a physical blow and he suddenly found himself seeing through the Doctor's ran down Jack's faces unbidden...the Doctor was blind, in pain and dear god...he'd given up.

"No, please don't Doctor. I'll find you, just hold on. I'll find you."

* * *

White Coat was not best pleased, the retrieving of his property had been a debacle. The captain of the fishing vessel had managed to get off an SOS.

Sinking the vessel would put the authorities off, they would think it was just a foolish captain who got too greedy and paid the he knew it wouldn't put off either UNIT or Torchwood, or whoever was after his property. He wasn't particularly worried about them; they would soon no longer be a problem.

However, the whereabouts of Captain Harkness was another thing, and that was a problem that would have to be dealt with.

It was a given that he wouldn't have died in his foolhardy jump after his property. He just had to hope that he was too far away to find either this base or his matter, he would be dealt with, he was sure the Cynrog or some other race would find a use for an immortal.

He looked up as a group of armed men approached."Is it secure, I don't want it escaping again."

"Yes sir, it won't be a problem, he's blind."

White Coat gave the man a sharp look. "Blind? Well that's not good. Have it brought to my laboratory, and inform Dr Michaels that I need her."

"Yes sir!" the man saluted and the group of men hurried away.

White Coat stood watching the activity below, lost in thought. He would have to move quicker than he thought...no matter, everything was in order.

He looked once more at the activity below, before walking were thing to do.

* * *

Jack sat on the pilot seat, a picture of utter misery. The Doctor's sadness and utter defeat had overwhelmed him.

He had tried to reach the Doctor, but the silver thread was hardly a glimmer. He didn't have the psychic strength to grab hold of it and strengthen it.

He sat, statue still, until a mental nudge from the TARDIS caused him to come back to reality. The Doctor's emotions and pain faded away, and his own senses pushed their way forward.

Letting out a huge sigh, he blinked several times, allowing his eyes to clear the blindness.

"I will find you," he whispered.

He stood up and looked up at the central column.

"Can't you find him? I'm not strong enough," he begged the TARDIS. "He needs you."

The TARDIS groaned and the lights dimmed again.

After a few moments, Jack felt and heard a change in the ancient engine, like she'd shifted inside the felt a sharp pain deep inside his head, and the silver thread flashed lightning bright, before turning more gold than silver.

The TARDIS groaned again, and the engine sound changed once more, and seconds later he felt the thud of the TARDIS as she landed.

They were here, wherever here was.

* * *

Martha, Gwen and Ianto sat in silence, still not able to make sense of what may have happened.

Martha suddenly frowned...there was something not quite right, she could feel it...what was it?

Then with sudden clarity, it dawned on her...the TARDIS, it hadn't sounded right, it sounded...distressed.

"Oh, I am so thick!" she yelled. "It wasn't the Doctor that came for Jack, it was the TARDIS. She came for Jack's help!"

Gwen and Ianto looked at Martha in disbelief.

"Can it do that, it's just a machine, isn't it?" Gwen said.

"The Doctor always said she was sentient, so why couldn't she. That means..."

"The Doctor is still alive," Ianto finished.

"But we have no way of finding him or the TARDIS," Gwen said.

"But we have," Martha said.

The other two looked at her.

"The Cynrog," Martha said.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

Sarah Michael hurried along the corridor, a lab assistant trailing behind her, carrying what she called her box of tricks.

She could hardly control her excitement, they'd found him and he was still alive...what a strong innate will to live he must have...to override his own attempted suicide.

She stopped outside the door to the lab, just to settle her nerves. After a few deep breathes she opened the door.

She was expecting to see White Coat, but found the room empty, he must have been delayed.

She entered the small operating theatre, to find Subject A already strapped down to the table, and by the looks of it already prepped for removal of the Alpha Code.

She pointed to where she wanted the lab assistant to put her equipment and dismissed him. She walked over to the operating table, and was puzzled as to why Subject A didn't respond to her approach.

She stopped beside him and leant over him, Subject A's eyes were open, but he looked catatonic...no, that wasn't it. She waved a hand across Subject A's eyes, no reaction...not catatonic...blind!

She frowned, she'd never put that in the design, perhaps it was a side effect. Perhaps she should take a blood sample, just to make sure. She was pretty certain that White Coat would want Subject A healthy and not blind.

She turned back to her box, took out a hypodermic and a phial and went back to the table.

She was about to place the needle in the IV when Subject A's hand moved and clamped on her wrist and turned his head towards her.

"I know you...Sarah Michaels...please...you can...do it," Subject A spoke in between short gasps.

She ignored him and managed to free his hand from her wrist, only for him to grab it again.

"Please...stop this...you can...end this," he breathed.

She looked into Subject A's sightless eyes and to her surprise, tears were falling down his face.

Then in a rush of cold realization, she knew what he was asking...he wanted her to kill him!

Shaking her head to his unspoken plea, she finished taking her sample and walked away.

"Please...Sarah."

She closed her ears to Subject A's words and did what she needed to do. After a few moments she had a sample of Subject A's blood under the microscope, but what she saw shocked her...that wasn't the signature for the Alpha Code, it looked like some sort of fungal strand.

Her eyes widened, and then narrowed in anger...White Coat, the bastard. He'd lied to her...no one lied to her.

She turned away from the microscope and went to her box and pulled out another syringe and a bottle.

She turned and walked back to Subject A, filled the syringe and watched as the blue liquid flowed from the syringe into Subject A.

"You want me to kill you...fine. Don't think it's an act of mercy...call it an act of spite. This is a little concoction of my own design. I made it especially, just in case. It won't kill you straight away, but it will kill you, and if I'm right, that thing needs a live host."

There was no response from Subject A, so she turned away, packed her supplies and left the operating theatre, she had something to do.

So she never heard Subject A's whispered. "Thank you."

* * *

The Doctor hadn't tried to resist as he was dragged from his cell, strapped to a table and had an IV cruelly shoved into his arm.

He wanted this over, he wanted his darker self to overcome him, at least that way he would force someone to kill him.

He'd heard someone enter the room...the smell seemed familiar...Sarah Michaels.

Maybe this was his chance, she could, and he knew it.

His hearts had sunk when she walked away, and he thought she wasn't coming back.

Then she'd spoken to him and...yes, even if it was to spite White Coat, she would.

Then he'd felt something cold course through his veins and start to burn...what had she said, it would be slow not quick...no matter, he could feel that it would kill him.

With a mental sigh of relief he let the substance flow through his blood, and he began to laugh as the thing inside him began to writhe and twist.

So, it was going to be two deaths…that was good. Now all he could do was wait.

* * *

Jack was about to open the TARDIS door, when she let out a long groan, one which Jack could only describe as pain filled.

"What is it..." he began, but never finished his question as one awful image flashed through his head.

Death!


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three**

Martha swallowed nervously; the memories of her last meeting with the Cynrog had been unpleasant.

But she took courage from the presence of Ianto and Gwen and stood straighter as she saw the three figures start to form in front of her.

"What do you want human?" the larger of the Cynrog hissed at her.

She rankled at the contempt she heard in the Cynrog's voice.

That dissipated any nerves she had, and her temper rose.

"What do I want? What I want is for you to leave this planet alone, or do you want to answer to the Shadow Proclamation."

The three Cynrog took a step back in surprise.

"What, surprised a human knows about the Shadow Proclamation. Oh, I know more than that, I know this planet is off limits...but I can be persuaded not to tell them."

The Cynrog that had spoken to her stepped forward again. "I am listening."

* * *

Jack leant against the outside of TARDIS door, his head reeling from the image that had flashed through his mind.

The TARDIS was almost dark, having let out a shuddering groan and suddenly powering down... she was falling, falling with her Time Lord.

He had to stop it, stop the Doctor...stop him, but how?

Then as if something heard his question, an unsuspecting guard happened upon the TARDIS.

* * *

The Doctor lay still, waiting patiently as he felt more and more energy returning to his muscle, soon he would be able to move, and somehow get out of wherever he was.

It wasn't going to be easy, considering he was blind, but he had to move, before he came.

He reached over and undid the straps that were holding him down and then removed the IV, hissing as he felt a twinge of pain as he pulled.

Letting the discarded tubing fall to the floor, he felt his way over to what he hoped was the door and to his surprise, neither this door nor the door to the room next to it was locked.

That must have been Sarah Michael's doing, so without further delay, he slipped out of the room and began feeling his way down what appeared to be an empty corridor.

He carefully moved along the corridor, and nearly fell when the floor beneath him shifted, and the faint rumble of something...explosive reached his ears.

"That's not good, not good at all," he said, before straightening and once again feeling his way along the wall.

He stopped when it suddenly ended, was it a turn in the corridor...no, he crouched down and felt for... it was a set of stairs, going up.

Slowly and very cautiously he started to ascend the stairs, step by step.

He'd gone maybe two or three flights, when he heard someone coming down.

* * *

White Coat had fully intended to make his way to his laboratory, but that was twenty minutes ago. He'd found himself distracted by what seemed trivial things, the odd breakdown of machinery that no-one but himself seemed able to fix.

"Enough of this, if you can't fix it yourselves, then throw it away, don't bother me!" he roared and stalked off towards his laboratory.

He was about to enter the corridor leading to it when a dull roar echoed around him and the ground beneath him vibrated...that sounded like an explosion.

With a growl of anger, he turned and locked the door to his laboratory and strode off towards the sound of the explosion.

He never noticed the figure slip out of the only other entrance and out into what was his personal shuttle bay.

* * *

Jack winced a little at the explosion; he had no idea what had caused the explosion.

Whatever or whoever had caused it, the results had been spectacular, and they had the desired effect of creating mass panic, which had allowed him to move further into the complex. He hoped that the TARDIS had been right that the Doctor was here, but he fervently hoped that she had been wrong about death.

He'd eventually come across what looked like holding cells, and had managed to bring up what looked like CCTV footage of the cells on the abandoned desk that should have been security, and had stopped, frozen in anger and horror.

The Doctor had been manhandled into shackles and chained painfully tight to the wall of the cell. But it wasn't the chains or the shackles that had angered him; it was the way the Doctor had just taken the abuse.

Then he had looked closer and had seen that the Doctor couldn't see his jailers...he was blind.

White hot anger had seared his heart, had they blinded him so as to disable him...oh, they were so going to pay.

He'd watched as they'd dragged the Doctor out, and had then scoured the log entries for any clues as to where they had taken the Doctor...yes Level Four, a laboratory, and he was on Level Two...time to go.

He looked round for a door or a set of stairs, but finding none he moved away from the desk and found what he wanted just past the cell the Doctor must have been in. There was a flight of stairs and an elevator

He wasted no time deciding and flew down stairs, the weapon he'd stolen from the guard ready in his hand.

He'd gone down only three flights when he stopped suddenly...someone was coming up!

* * *

Martha hadn't expected the Cynrog to capitulate so easy. She'd only heard the Doctor mention the Shadow Proclamation once. It was who the Judoon worked for he'd told her; that was all.

Now she was watching as a Cynrog soldier was placing explosives and had ducked for cover along with Gwen and Ianto when the wall imploded loudly and violently.

That had been several minutes ago, now the sounds of gunfire and laser fire were filling the air.

"We have to find some kind of map of this place!" Ianto yelled.

Gwen ducked as another bullet pinged off the wall near her head. "We can't even move, let alone..." she shouted, but her voice was drowned out by gun and laser fire.

The quiet when it descended seemed unnatural, but was broken by the sound of claws on metal, as a large Cynrog specimen walked over to Ianto carrying a small box, and dropped it at Ianto's feet.

"Schematics," it growled and stalked off, joining its fellow soldier in advancing along the destroyed corridor.

"Thanks," Ianto said and looked at the screen of the device. "Yes, it looks like the holding cells are on Level Two, we should start there."

Gwen and Martha nodded.

"Let's leave the Cynrog to do whatever they're going to do. If they kill White Coat, that's fine by me," Gwen said. "Let's go find the Doctor, and I don't know why, but I think Jack's here too."

With that the trio left the Cynrog to take on whatever resistance there was and ran for the stairs in the corner.

* * *

Jack slowed as he heard whoever it was ascending the stairs.

They were barefoot, whoever it was and going slowly, they must have heard him. He stopped at the corner, where the steps turned, let them come to him.

Flattening himself against the wall, poised on the steps, and waited to pounce.

He tensed as the footfalls came closer, and as the owner of the footsteps hand appeared round the corner he moved.

The cry that followed caused Jack to stop...the owner of the footsteps was the Doctor!


	24. Chapter 24

The Doctor placed his hand on the corner of the wall and started to edge his way round and cried out when someone grabbed his hand and dragged him round the corner.

Whoever it was didn't speak, just tightened their grip on him and pulled him forward. Then a familiar scent hit his nostrils as the person wrapped their arms around him...Jack!

He shifted in Jack's arms and tried to push away, but found he couldn't.

"Let go of me Jack!" he cried, trying once more to extricate himself from Jack's arms.

"Let go of me!"

Jack had been surprised, then overjoyed at finding the Doctor and had wrapped the Doctor in a silent embrace.

His heart suddenly dropped when the Doctor tried to pull away from him, eyes sightlessly trying to find his.

"Let go of me!"

Jack felt annoyance rising and he tightened his grip on the Doctor.

"I don't have time for this, one second you want my help, the next you're pushing me away. We're going, deal with it!" he growled and started to drag the reluctant Time Lord up the stairs.

"No, you don't..." the Doctor began.

"I don't want to hear it!" Jack cut across whatever the Doctor was going to say.

The Doctor tried to dig his heels in, but found himself pressed against Jack's chest.

"So help me Doc, blind or not, I will put you down and carry you out, now move!" Jack roared and yanked the Doctor forwards, virtually pulling him up the stairs.

* * *

White Coat could not believe his oh so secret base was under attack. He heard garbled reports of lizard creatures attacking the base...the Cynrog.

He was hurrying down the steps towards the laboratory. If this place was going to hell, then he had to get his property and leave, he had no intention of experiencing the tender mercies of the Cynrog.

He stopped when he heard what sounded like two people arguing. He listened for a few seconds...that sounded like his property and Captain Harkness!

So that was how the Cynrog found this place, Torchwood, he should have known. When the dust had settled, he would come back and finish Torchwood and with the very thing they were trying to retrieve.

He put his hand in his pocket and felt not just his hand gun, but the collar as well. Yes he could temporarily rid himself of Captain Harkness and also rein in his property as well.

Drawing his weapon, he slowly descended the steps.

* * *

Jack hated forcing the Doctor to move so fast, wincing every time the man stumbled on a step.

His mind was racing with conflicting thoughts and emotions. Why had the Doctor tried to break away from him, when he had called for help...or had the TARDIS acted on her own?

Explanations and recriminations would have to wait, he was going to get the Doctor away from here, whether he wanted to or not.

He worried that the Doctor had said nothing since his outburst. He glanced round at the man he was still pulling, hoping it would gain him some sort of reaction.

But the Doctor face was blank, sightless eyes staring at nothing. He could still see traces of whatever was inside him, but they were only faint. Either the thing inside was dying or and he didn't want to think on the possibility that the thing was winning and had overwhelmed the Doctor.

"Come on Doc," he said encouragingly.

The Doctor still didn't reply, but let Jack pull him upwards.

However, several steps later, he did stop and Jack turned sharply, another reprimand on his lips.

That died away when he saw the expression on the Doctor's face...it was one of fear.

"No please, not him," the Doctor whimpered.

Jack frowned and then he heard the click of a revolver and felt cold metal against his neck.

"I think perhaps you will be going nowhere," a now way too familiar voice said in Jack's ear.

Jack felt the weapon pressed harder into his neck, then the soft chink of something metallic?

"Now captain, if you would kindly place this around my property's neck," the voice said, and what looked like an oversized dog collar appeared over Jack's shoulder.

Jack's eyes never left the Doctor face, the look of pure terror on his face when he recognised the sound.

"No, please," he whimpered as Jack placed the collar around his neck.

"I'm sorry," Jack said as he clicked the collar into place.

"Well done captain, I would thank you, but you have been a particularly nasty thorn in my side. Unfortunately I will never get the pleasure of killing you. Now move away from my property."

Jack moved away from the Doctor reluctantly and turned...knowing who would be on the end of the gun.

* * *

White Coat smiled at him, a superior smile that did nothing for his looks.

"Now, it's time for myself and my property to depart. Come along," he said to the Doctor.

The Doctor didn't move, shaking his head in silent protest and despite his blindness, tried to back away.

He'd only taken a few steps, when he let out a cry of agony and sank to his knees

"Stop it!" Jack yelled, unable to move to help, the revolver now pointing at his face.

"Get up!" White Coat snapped at the stricken Doctor.

"He's blind, how the hell can he walk, let alone get up!" Jack shouted.

"Perhaps he just needs an incentive," White Coat said and without further thought pulled the trigger.

* * *

The Doctor had frozen at the sound of White Coat's voice and at the sound of the collar. He screamed inside his mind as Jack placed the collar around his neck, despite his plea.

When White Coat had ordered him to move, he'd refused and tried to move away.

Then the intense pain had almost crippled him and he fell to his knees. He heard the barked order of "Get up", but he couldn't, he was too weak.

He heard White Coat speak again, and then the gun shot, and he knew what had happened.

"No!" he screamed as he heard the sound of a body hitting the floor.

He crawled forwards, hands feeling for what he feared, when he heard other footsteps.

"Pick that up," he heard White Coat say.

He kept feeling with his hands and they found what he was feeling for, the body of Jack. One of his hands felt sticky and warm...blood, Jack's life was pouring over the steps.

He went to touch what he hoped was Jack's face, when he was roughly pulled away.

"No, Jack!" he cried as he was dragged away.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

Martha ducked again as another bullet bit into the wall above her, and she flinched when Ianto and Gwen returned fire.

She heard several cries as their bullets found their marks, and was moving before their cries died away.

The trio moved as fast as they dared down the steps, unsure of what they may encounter on the way down.

They all froze when they heard a gunshot and someone's cry.

That sounded like..." Gwen began.

"The Doctor!" Martha finished and began speeding down the stairs, followed seconds later by a startled Ianto and Gwen.

"Martha, wait!" Gwen shouted, acutely aware that the cry they heard could have a myriad meanings.

She risked losing her footing in an attempt to catch up with Martha, whose speed was fuelled by finding the Doctor.

She rounded a corner at sped and nearly fell over Martha, who had stopped.

It wasn't until she got her balance back and had moved round the very still Martha that she saw why Martha had stopped.

Sprawled over several steps was the lifeless body of Jack, a pool of blood slowly oozing its way down the steps.

She was pushed aside roughly by Ianto, who fell to his knees in front of Jack.

"No!" he cried and gathered Jack in his arms, ignoring the blood that seeped onto his clothes.

"I'll kill him. I'll kill him," he kept repeating.

"He couldn't have, not Jack," Martha said quietly, not taking her eyes of the weeping Ianto and the pooling blood.

Gwen carefully stepped past Ianto, not wanting to look at the gaping hole in Jack's head.

She narrowed her eyes when she spotted something.

On the steps below were bloody shoeprints and bloody footprints. She looked up and saw bloody handprints on the wall.

"Ianto, the Doctor didn't kill him. There are two sets of prints, there were three people here, and one of them was barefoot, and I don't think it was our white coated friend who was barefoot."

Ianto looked up, his eyes glistening with tears. "The Doctor, he was here and White Coat. Jack must have been trying to..."

* * *

Jack suddenly stiffened in Ianto's arms and took in huge gasp of air.

"No!" he cried out as he came rushing back to life, and found himself in someone's arms.

"Sssh, it's alright, it's me," Ianto said softly as Jack tried to pull out of his arms.

Jack struggled up and looked round wildly, seeing Martha and Gwen but not who he wanted to see.

"White Coat, he's leaving, he taken the Doctor," he said.

He tried to stand but his legs wouldn't co-operate, he frowned...why not.

"Easy," Ianto said, supporting him as he stood. "White Coat shot you in the head, it might take a while to get right."

Jack's frown turned to a scowl.

"The bastard, he made me put that dammed control collar on him," he snarled. "Now I've lost him."

"No, hang on a second," Ianto said and took out the schematic device the Cynrog had given him.

They all crowded round Ianto, trying to see the small screen.

"These stairs only go to what look like a laboratory, so they couldn't...no wait, there's another area...a hangar!"

"Of course, that snake would have his own escape route, that's where he's taken him, he's running," Gwen said.

"The hell he is," Jack growled and took off down the steps, the others not far behind him.

* * *

White Coat's patience was running out. His property was still struggling to escape, despite having had several more painful reminders to obey him.

He sighed when they finally managed to drag him into the small hangar that held his personal shuttle

His property was only silenced when he was thrown onto the floor and one of the guards knelt on him.

White Coat crouched down beside the pinned down figure and roughly took hold of his head and prised one eye wide.

"Hmm, the sooner I get that out of you, the better. You're no good to me blind. Chain him up in the hold, make sure he can't move."

He watched as his property was man-handled into the shuttle. "Now, where is Dr Michaels?"

* * *

Sarah Michaels had slipped past the large lizards that were patrolling the corridors. She had to be outside in less than five minutes, her own escape was due to pick her up.

She carried a small container; the contents were going to make her very rich, beyond rich.

For a fleeting moment she felt a little guilt, not a double-crossing White Coat, but at having to poison the donator of the contents of the container. It had pained her to destroy such a unique individual, but sometimes personal revenge outweighed scientific matters.

She stepped out of the base and saw that her transport was already descending, and with a satisfied smile, she walked towards it.

* * *

"What is going on, get this shuttle airborne!" White Coat snapped.

The pilot, who was pushing buttons frantically, shook his head. "No can do sir, it looks like the propulsion engines have frozen, we not going anywhere."

White Coat let out a snort of disgust and climbed out of the shuttle and opened the door to the hold.

"Get that out, we have to get to the main hangar."

He stood to one side as his property was unchained and dragged out of the shuttle, its only protest a whimper of fear.

They all jumped when the door to the hangar burst open and a bloodied angry captain appeared in the doorway.

"Don't move or so help me I'll kill you where you stand!"

* * *

White Coat reacted in a way that Jack hadn't expected. He'd expected him to order the guards to open fire, but he didn't.

Instead White Coat grabbed hold of the chain attached to the Doctor's collar, and dragged him in front of him.

Jack saw the glint of something metallic...a blade.

"Enough captain!" White Coat shouted. "Move any further and I will slice it open!"


	26. Chapter 26

Jack froze as he saw White Coat press the blade against the Doctor's exposed throat, and gestured for the others who had arrived seconds later to stop.

"I see one drop of his blood and you won't make out of here," Jack said in a low calm voice.

White Coat smiled. "Really, I don't think you will risk losing this," he said, pulling the Doctor's head back further.

"And I think you won't damage your own property. He's worth more to you alive than dead," Jack replied, never taking his eyes of White Coat, trying to gauge his reaction.

White Coat smiled again and pressed the blade closer to the Doctor's throat.

"Perhaps, but it is my property, so..."

* * *

It happened so quickly, that neither Jack nor the others had chance to react.

A trail of blood appeared on the Doctor's throat and White Coat shoved him away as the guards opened fire.

Jack watched in helpless horror as the blood appeared on the Doctor's skin. He was frozen to the spot, even when the firing began.

He didn't even notice when he was pushed to the ground by someone.

Then everything around him seemed to shrink into one small place, and that place was overcome by rage.

* * *

The gunfight was short and deadly, but the one person Jack wanted dead was gone.

But at the moment he didn't care.

He rushed over to the Doctor, whose life blood was staining the floor.

"No, no, no," Jack said, his voice taut with panic and fear as he tried to stem the flow of blood, but it was welling through his fingers.

He then heard a calm voice beside him...it was Martha

"Jack, let me...Gwen can you...thanks. Ianto I need you to..."

The voices faded into whispers as he felt himself being pulled away.

"Don't look sweetheart," Gwen said and pulled Jack away.

She held the still in shock Jack as she watched Martha work on the Doctor, her voice sounding like a thousand other doctors in life and death situations...calm, efficient, without emotion.

Jack tried to turn his head towards the sounds, but Gwen held him tightly against her.

"No Jack, don't look," she said softly.

* * *

Ianto tried not to feel the warmth of the blood that was staining his fingers, trying to listen instead to the instructions Martha was giving to him.

"Keep the pressure steady, I don't think...no...thank god...it didn't. I need something to bandage."

She took off her bloodstained jacket. "I need a knife."

Ianto had a knife, but he couldn't reach it. "I've got one, but I can't..."

"Use mine," a hoarse voice came from behind Martha.

Both of them looked up...it was Jack, the hilt of his knife and his shirt held out toward Martha.

"Did he...?" Jack began.

"Not now Jack," Martha said, being deliberately cold, and turned back to tend to the Doctor.

Ianto looked up and saw the plea to know in Jack's eyes. "Martha, tell him."

"He missed the main artery, but it's deep. I can't do anything here, Gwen please."

"Come away Jack. Let them work, you have to help me find a way out of here."

"White Coat...I'm going to kill him," Jack growled.

"Jack!" Gwen said sharply. "We need to get out of here, White Coat can wait. We have to get past the Cynrog. They still want the

Doctor."

* * *

Jack blinked, and looked over at Martha and Ianto, who were still shielding the Doctor from his gaze.

"Yeah, but I can't leave..."

Gwen grabbed hold of his shoulders and shook him none too gently.

"You can't help them or him if we run into the Cynrog...he'll die for sure!"

Gwen's words seemed to have the desired effect on Jack, who in the blink of an eye went into Torchwood mode.

"Right, let's check out that shuttle, if White Coat was going to use, so can we," he said and without waiting for Gwen, he climbed into the shuttle.

He settled in the pilot's seat and looked at the array of blinking lights and then at the readout on the screen.

"Dammit!" he yelled and smacked the steering column hard, just as Gwen entered the cabin.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

"The engines are fried, this shuttle is going nowhere," he growled.

"How about the main hangar, there must be shuttles there?"

"Sure, but isn't there a whole lot of Cynrog up there, all itching to get their claws on the Doctor," Jack replied.

"Yes, but if it's the only way out, it's the only way out. If it means a fight, then so be it," Gwen said, as they left the shuttle.

* * *

They found Ianto leaning with his back against the shuttle, his hands and the front of his clothes covered in blood.

"Yan?" Jack said, fear rising in his gut.

"We managed to stop the bleeding, there was so much blood..."Ianto stopped for a second, looked at his bloodied hands.

Jack sat down beside him.

"It's having two hearts Martha said...oh god...so much blood," he sobbed.

"I'll go help Martha," Gwen said.

Jack nodded and drew Ianto closer to him, putting a protective arm around him.

"It's alright, you know the Doctor, he's tough. If it didn't kill him, he'll fight all the way. But we have to get out of here. Do you still have the plans of this place?"

Ianto straightened and took the small device out of his pocket.

Jack took it and scrolled through the contents.

"There's a way out that avoids the Cynrog, but it's not going to be easy."

* * *

White Coat could not believe that he had been forced to damage his property...oh he hadn't cut his throat to kill him, that would be foolish. But he'd realised his escape would be hampered by having to haul his property along with him.

Plus he'd noticed that the virus inside his property was failing, and that troubled him. No-one should have been able to do that, not even the superior biology of his property...unless?

Dr. Michaels...traitorous bitch!

So he'd cut his property, not deep enough to kill...he hoped, but deep enough to distract Captain Harkness and his team.

He would have to leave his property for now, he could always retrieve it.

However, escaping the now doomed base and finding and dealing with Dr Michaels were foremost in his mind.

"We will meet again Captain Harkness, he won't belong to you for long," he said as he powered up his private transmit and disappeared once more.

* * *

Jack and Ianto moved back to where Gwen and Martha were carefully wiping away what blood they could from the Doctor's skin.

They looked up when they approached.

"How are we going to get out Jack, we needed that shuttle," Martha said.

"We found another way out, but it's not easy. It's a maintenance shaft, goes right to the surface."

"There's no way we can't carry him up that, it'll..."

A voice cut across Martha.

"Do it Jack," the Doctor said.


	27. Chapter 27

"We can't Jack," Martha repeated. "The wound is only held together by your shirt and how tight it's tied. We need a shuttle, not to climb ladders."

"No, don't have to, just leave me, get out."

The Doctor's voice was hoarse and barely audible, but the words cut through Jack like a knife.

"Don't talk Doctor," Martha said, in her best doctor's tone.

"No, just go. Jack please," the Doctor searched for Jack with sightless eyes.

Jack moved closer and crouched down besides the Doctor.

"I can't do that," he said placing a hand on the Doctor's face.

The Doctor grabbed his hand. "Please Jack...the Cynrog..."

Jack moved his hand to the Doctor's lips. "No more Doctor, we're leaving and we're taking you, like it or not. I am not leaving you here."

Without further words he scooped the Doctor up, ignoring his weak protest and the groan of pain it elicited.

"Ianto, lead the way. Martha with me, Gwen, watch our six," he said, keeping a tight hold on the Doctor, who despite his injury was trying to move.

"Stop it!" Jack hissed, as they approached the maintenance shaft. "I'm not letting you die down here, even if you want too, now shut it!"

* * *

The climb up the shaft was proving long and painfully slow, the others having to keep pace with Jack and Ianto, who had to help Jack carry the Doctor., who thankfully to Martha's relief, but to Jack's concern had lost consciousness.

As they reached the top of the shaft, the sounds of claws on metal filled the air...the Cynrog.

Gwen cautiously put her head above the shaft, and sighed with relief when there wasn't a scale to be seen.

She ducked down again and whispered down to the others. "It must have been a patrol, it looks clear."

She clambered out of the shaft and hauled Martha up, and they both helped Ianto as he took the weight of the Doctor as he and Jack manoeuvred the still out of it Time Lord out of the shaft and laid him on the floor.

Blood was starting to seep through the make shift dressing, and the Doctor's breathing had become shallower and uneven.

"We have to get out of here and soon, if he loses any more blood..." Martha trailed off, seeing the look on Jack's face.

"He is not going to die," Jack growled. "Ianto, where is the main hangar?"

Ianto pointed to his left. "Along this corridor, up another set of stairs, then it's right in front of us."

"Right, then let's get the hell out of here before our luck runs out," Jack said.

Their luck did run out as they reached the top of the stairs.

* * *

It was their misfortune to meet the Cynrog who had struck a deal with Martha, but this time he had a full complement of soldiers with him.

"Human female!" he growled. "You deceived us, where is the one called White..."

The Cynrog stopped when he saw the figure being carried by Jack.

He hissed and the soldiers behind him came to full alert, their weapons all aimed at the little group.

"Time Lord..." he hissed. "He is ours, you will surrender him to me."

Jack took a step back and shook his head.

"He belongs to us, we purchased him, you will give him to me."

Martha, Ianto and Gwen moved in front of Jack, making their answer clear.

"If you do not give him to me, you will die."

* * *

The stalemate was interrupted by the floor suddenly moving under their feet and what sounded like something metallic being ripped open.

Jack tried to keep his balance as the ground bucked under his feet, which wasn't easy when you had an armful of unconscious Time Lord.

He backed up until his back was against the wall, and it was then that he heard...the stomping of boots?

The last thing Jack needed was another problem.

Everybody bar Jack was suddenly knocked off their feet and claws when the hangar door flew inwards in fiery explosions, and the stomping grew louder, and Jack heard voices coming from the smoke.

"Koh ro ma sho, toh ro koh!" a voice thundered.

Jack heard Martha letting out a gasp of surprise. "I don't believe it," she said as large shapes began to emerge from the smoke.

Whatever they were, Jack noticed the words had a different effect on the Cynrog. They looked around in what looked like panic.

One of the soldiers tried to make a break, but was cut down by multiple laser fire.

"Koh ro ma, toh ro koh!" the voice thundered again, this time accompanied by what Jack could only described as a rhino, well at least a dozen rhino that appeared out of the smoke.

"What the hell are...?" Gwen said.

She looked round when Martha gave a short laugh. "Judoon, they're Judoon."

The Cynrog leader hissed and then all hell broke loose.

* * *

Jack dropped the Doctor and covered him with his own body as laser fire filled the air. He could hear the cries of alarm from the others, but knew there was nothing he could do.

The battle, such as it was, was short bloody and final, the Judoon far outnumbering the Cynrog, and the Cynrog Leader was soon the only one left.

Jack looked up as he heard boots stomping towards him.

The Judoon, that was what Martha had called them, the one that had spoken stomped over to Gwen, who was the nearest and hauling her up, placed some kind of tube against her head.

"Category human, language Earth English."

It did this to everyone, even Jack.

Then it came to the Doctor, who still lying on the floor.

"Category, non-human, species not catalogued."

The device the Judoon was using beeped at him. "Material evidence in case number 3098765- illegally purchased property for purposes of torture and public execution. Evidence will be impounded."

At those words Jack jumped forward, barring the way of two Judoon who were advancing on the Doctor.

"No, you can't!"

The first Judoon stared at Jack. "You have no jurisdiction over crimes outside of Earth, stand aside."

Ianto suddenly stepped in between Jack and the Judoon.

"Wait a minute, did you say impounded as illegally purchased property?"

The Judoon looked down at Ianto. "Correct. Listed as article number 45673 on cargo manifest of impounded Cynrog cruiser."

Ianto thought for a moment, and then asked. "What if the property..."

"Article 45673," the Judoon rumbled.

"Okay, what if article 45673 is stolen property?"

The Judoon didn't reply for a moment. "Then article 45673 will be returned to its original owner and compensation will be paid for any damage to property."

"Then article 45673 should be returned to that man there, Captain Jack Harkness. It was stolen by a human accomplice, which mean the crime of theft was committed on Earth?"

"Judoon have no jurisdiction over Earth crime."

"In that case wouldn't article number 45673 be part of an Earth crime and not fall under your jurisdiction?"

The Judoon blinked, seemingly caught out by Ianto's question.

"Correct."

The Judoon turned to where Jack was standing defensively over the Doctor.

"Captain Jack Harkness," it said and moved over to him and handed him a clear plastic sheet.

"You will sign this affidavit. If it is found you are lying, you will be arrested for perverting the course of intergalactic justice. You can claim compensation in civil court."

Jack nodded dumbly, too confused by the turn of events to say anything. He took the pen from the Judoon and signed.

The Judoon commander took the document and stowed it away.

"All troops withdraw!"

With that the Judoon turned away, dragging the Cynrog leader with them, and once again the sound of many boots filled the air, and minutes later the floor shook again.

* * *

The silence was deafening, then the group let out a collective sigh of relief.

"I have absolutely no idea what you just did, but it was bloody brilliant!" Gwen said and hugged Ianto, closely followed by Martha.

A cry of alarm from Jack made them turn.

Jack had the Doctor in his arms, who was convulsing violently.

Martha rushed over, but by the time she'd reached them, the Doctor had stopped and was ominously still.

She felt for a pulse and her eyes widened in horror...there wasn't one!

"Lay him flat!" she barked at Jack.

She ripped open the Doctor's bloody shirt and placed her head against his chest...no heartbeats.

"Move out of the way!" she snapped at Jack and shoved him out of the way when he didn't move.

As she started the CPR, memories of the moon and the MRI room flashed through her head.

"You are not dying on me!" she growled.

After what seemed an eternity, the Doctor inhaled and when Martha put her head to his chest she could hear his hearts, but only just and they were erratic.

"Is he...?" Jack asked.

"He's alive, just, but his hearts are erratic they could stop at anytime. Now can we leave this bloody place!" Martha said.

Minutes later a shuttle rose into the sky, leaving the burning base and unfinished business behind.


	28. Chapter 28

The Hub was silent, only the ticking over of machinery gave lie to the fact that anyone lived here at all.

The silence was suddenly broken by the door rolling back, and life bursting back in.

Jack descended the steps as fast as he dared, holding tightly to his precious cargo, closely followed by Martha.

He kicked the door to the med-unit open and quickly laid the Doctor on one of the beds, then shut the door on Gwen and Ianto.

They looked at each other and shrugged.

"I need to shower," Ianto said and moved away.

Gwen sighed and looked at the closed door. She knew by Martha's face that things were serious, she needed to find something to keep her busy...she knew what to do.

With one last look at the closed door, she turned and climbed back up to the central hub.

* * *

Jack was silent all through the delicate procedure that Martha was performing, handing the equipment and sutures when she asked for it.

The wound to the Doctor's neck was deep and nasty, but it had least stopped bleeding, thanks no doubt to the Time Lord's superior healing abilities.

What worried Jack was the erratic beeping coming from the monitors. The Doctor's hearts were in serious arrhythmia, according to Martha.

"Jack, watch him whilst I go and test these samples," Martha said, carrying several phials out of the med-room and into the laboratory.

Jack nodded and pulled the only chair over to the bed. He sat down and took one of the Doctor's hands in his.

It felt cold to his touch, colder than its normal pleasant cool. He traced the almost invisible black line that was the only tell-tale sign that whatever the thing was that White Coat had implanted inside the Doctor was still present.

"I don't know whether you can hear me, but it doesn't matter if you don't. I know you wanted to die, wanted me to leave you. But I couldn't, and I don't care if you hate me for it, or if you never want to see me again. We've been through way too much together. I could never let you go, not ever. So live or die, it's how I feel, deal with it."

He looked up as the monitor beeped at him, the two lines showing the Doctor's hearts flat-lined for a second, causing Jack to tense and then relax slightly as they settle back into an irregular pattern.

"Come on, I can't go after him on my own. You need revenge as much as I do, if not more, live for that, if nothing else," he said, squeezing the Doctor's hand.

The door opening distracted him, it was Martha, but the look on her face made Jack's heart freeze.

"Martha, what is it?"

"That thing, it's dying," she said as she walked round to the other side of the bed.

"That's a good thing, right?" Jack said.

"I could say yes, but the thing is, it's what's killing it," she said, laying a hand on the Doctor's forehead.

"Martha, what's going on?" Jack said, standing up, fear rising in his gut.

"There's some kind of chemical, I think it's a chemical. It's breaking the infection down, but..."

"But what Martha?"

"I'm sorry Jack, but whatever it is, it's killing him as well."

* * *

Gwen and Ianto looked up at the sound of a door slamming downstairs, and tried to look busy when someone ran up the stairs.

The door to Jack's office slammed and they looked at each other, and then up at the closed door.

"I'll go," Ianto said. "You find out what's happened."

Gwen nodded and jogged down the stairs to the med-room.

Ianto didn't bother knocking, knowing that if he did he would only get a negative answer.

Jack was sitting at his desk, a bottle of whiskey was open and Jack was already halfway through a glass.

"Jack?" he said and sat down, without an invitation.

"I'm going to find him, and I'm going to kill him, slowly, painfully," Jack said, not to Ianto, but to himself.

He went to grab the bottle again, but Ianto had moved it.

"Put that back and go away Ianto," Jack growled.

Ianto shook his head and placed the bottle on the floor. "Jack, what's happened?"

"That bastard, he's done something that not even the Daleks could..." his voice trailed away.

Ianto frowned, then it dawned on him, it was something White Coat must have done.

"It's the Doctor isn't it, he's dying."

Jack nodded. "Some sort of chemical, its killing the thing inside him, and its killing him too," Jack said solemnly.

Ianto sat back in his chair, and then frowned again.

"Wait a minute, why would White Coat do that. Isn't that killing the golden goose?"

"To spite me..."Jack started to say.

"No, think Jack, why would he do that?"

Jack looked up, Ianto's words finally sinking in. "But if it wasn't him, who was it?"

"There's only one other person who might be able...Dr Michaels."

"She must have been there, those two seemed very close," Jack said and picked up the phone.

* * *

Sarah Michaels hadn't expected anyone to see her leaving, so the sleek black craft that forced her transport down was a surprise.

She was now being dragged into a UNIT office. She glared at the person sitting behind the desk.

"Do you know anything about the Human Rights Act?" she said to the person at the desk.

The person ignored her remark. "Place her in front of the vid-screen."

The guard pulled her none too gently across to a large screen and held her arms in a tight grip, so she stood still.

"Is this her?" the person asked. "Good, when do you want her? Certainly, I'll arrange transport immediately, I hope she can help, he is rather unique after all. No, we've got all we need from her, she yours to do what you want with. As for our other problem, we'll keep looking, thank you captain, good day."

The person looked at Sarah Michaels. "You really should have cut a deal with us Miss Michaels. I wouldn't expect any such leniency from where you're going. I'm afraid Torchwood are even less understanding."

"What could be worse than what you did?" she said defiantly.

The person looked at her. "Oh Miss Michaels, you really have no idea."

* * *

Jack watched as the UNIT helicopter made its approach, willing it to land faster.

Beside him Gwen shifted, knowing that Jack's temper was on a short leash. It was only the fact that this Dr Michaels might be able to help the Doctor that was keeping her alive. If it wasn't for that, she would be a very dead Dr Michaels.

The helicopter eventually landed, and two UNIT soldiers jumped out, and half dragged and pushed a woman towards them.

Jack tensed and pulled himself up to his full height.

When the woman saw Jack, all the fight seemed to go out of her.

The two UNIT soldiers nodded at Jack, turned away and climbed back into the helicopter.

Jack waited until the helicopter was safely away before speaking.

"Hello Dr Michaels, welcome to the rest of your life."


	29. Chapter 29

Martha sat down at the small table in what posed for a kitchen in the Hub. She really wanted a cup of coffee and some sleep, but she couldn't raise the energy to do either.

She jumped when a cup of steaming black gold appeared in front of her, quickly followed by a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon.

Ianto sat down opposite her. "Breakfast, you need to eat, then you need to sleep. The Doctor's not got any worse, and even if he does, there's nothing we can do. So eat, sleep, I can keep an eye on him. Neither of us can do anything until Jack gets back with Dr Michaels."

Martha closed her eyes and let out a long breath. "I know, but he wouldn't give up if it was you or me. I owe it to him, we all owe it to him to at least try."

"You perhaps, but me," Ianto replied.

Martha opened her eyes and looked at Ianto. "I know you haven't had the best experience, but that's not his fault. You haven't seen him at his best, spinning plates and juggling fire, saving worlds and saving people one at a time. He's wonderful Ianto, and before you say anything, he's flawed, like any person, he isn't a god. But I'll tell you something, if I was him, I wouldn't be as forgiving. All those things he's done for us, and what do we do, we make him public enemy number one when he needs us most."

Ianto went to reply but the sound of the main entrance to the Hub opening distracted him...they were back.

* * *

Jack shoved Dr Michaels through the Hub entrance, not caring if she stumbled or hurt herself. His only concern was for the Doctor.

He was pretty sure it was Dr Michaels who had poisoned the Doctor, so she better have the antidote, or the rest of her life would be very short.

He shoved her again when she stopped to look around her. "Move!" he growled and this time kept shoving her along, not allowing her time to look at her surroundings.

She suddenly whirled round and planted herself.

"Pushing me around will not get you whatever it is you want!" she snapped.

She was surprised when the woman stepped forward and grabbed hold of her and pulled her forward.

"Do you think you have any rights here?" the woman snapped, and shoved her backwards. "Now do as he says and move!"

Sarah looked at Jack, but she could see by the impassive look on his face that he wasn't inclined to stop the woman.

She let out a huff of pretend offense and turned back, and began descending the stairs.

* * *

Martha tensed as she saw the woman appear at the bottom of the stairs. All she wanted to do was slap the woman so hard, rattle her teeth. But she reined in her temper, it wouldn't help the Doctor.

She nodded at Jack and opened the door to the med-room, and gave the woman her best stare as she was shoved through the door.

Sarah Michaels stared at the figure lying on the bed, a figure that should have been dead hours ago and definitely not here.

"How did he...?" she began, but was interrupted by Martha.

"The chemical, I take it you have an antidote?" she asked, her tone frosty.

Sarah didn't reply, instead she walked towards the person on the bed, only to be stopped by Jack.

"If you want my help, I have to examine him."

Jack looked over at Martha, who nodded and stepped forward as he let go of Sarah's arm.

"If she thinks you're hurting him," Jack said, the tone of his voice warning her.

She raised an eyebrow and approached the figure.

"You are amazing, this should have killed you within hours," she said as she placed a hand on his neck, feeling the weak double pulse.

She moved to his face and opened one of his eyes, seeing the thin white film that covered the deep brown iris. Curious, she thought, that wasn't part of the virus's programming. Perhaps it was side effect of Time Lord physiology, there were so many factors that White Coat in his arrogance had chosen to ignore.

She turned from the bed and looked at Jack.

"I'll help, but I have certain conditions."

* * *

Jack slammed his hand against the wall of the med-room, making everyone in the room flinch.

"There's no way I can do that!" he yelled.

Martha stepped closer to Jack and stood in front of him. "We don't have a choice Jack. I can't help him, only she can. If that means she walks out of here, she walks."

Jack looked for one moment like he was going to argue, but instead he seemed to sag physically.

"Fine, but she's not leaving till he's better."

Ianto tried his best to distract Jack from what was happening in the med-room. He's only just managed to placate Jack, after Martha and Dr Michaels had insisted he stay away.

Eventually he gave up and left Jack to pace outside the med-room and stare at the blinds that had been pulled down.

Gwen returned from a supply run and quickly passed by Jack and entered the med-room, who tried to see inside, but had the door slammed in his face.

Gwen reappeared a few moments later, and was stopped by Jack.

"What's going on in there?" he asked, his tone expecting an answer.

Gwen looked at Jack. "I'm sorry Jack, I can't say."

"Gwen?" Jack said again, his voice low and dangerously quiet.

Gwen ignored it and took hold of Jack's arm. "Come away Jack, you can't help."

"Gwen, what's going on?"

"Come away Jack," she said again, more firmly this time, and she started to pull him away and up to the central Hub.

Jack sighed and allowed himself to be pulled away, knowing that Gwen wouldn't stop until he did.

They'd just made it to the top step when a cry echoed up the stairs.

Jack stiffened when he heard the cry...the Doctor!

He moved back towards the stairs, but Gwen's grip on his arm tightened.

"No Jack, you have to leave it," she said, still pulling at his arm.

Jack glared at her, and started to pull away again. "Let go of me Gwen," he growled.

"I'm sorry Jack, but no."

"Let go of me!" Jack roared as another cry echoed upwards.

Gwen's face hardened. "I'm sorry Jack," she said.

Jack felt something sharp against his neck, and tried to spin round, but the floor and light fell away from him.

"I'm really sorry," Ianto said as he caught Jack.


	30. Chapter 30

Martha held onto the Doctor's arms as he cried out again and started convulsing. She tried to remain detached, the way she'd been trained, but she couldn't.

This was the Doctor, not some anonymous patient in A&E. She'd voiced her opinion on what Dr Michaels was going to do. She hadn't like it, not one bit, but she didn't have a choice.

She let go of the Doctor's arms when he finally stopped convulsing and once again fell into an uneasy semi-consciousness.

She looked over at Dr Michaels whose was filling a hypodermic with a blue fluid.

"And that stuff is?" she asked, placing a protective hand over the Doctor's chest.

"It's not poison, it's the next stage of the antidote. If I give him the antidote all at once in his weakened state, it will kill him. It's painful and it may cause some permanent damage, but at least he'll be alive."

Martha looked sharply at her when she said 'permanent damage'.

"What kind of damage?" she said, moving round the bed and standing in front of the stricken Doctor.

* * *

Dr Michaels walked over to the bed , the hypodermic filled with the not so benign looking liquid in her hand.

She stood as close to Martha as she dared before speaking again.

"This won't do any more damage than that virus already has. Did you think that when this is over, he'd be the same as he was? I helped design that thing, I know what it will do to him. You really don't have any choice. I designed the chemical to kill within two to three hours, but it's been eight hours, too long. I'm not giving him the antidote to the chemical, I'm trying to kill the thing inside."

Martha looked at her in surprise. "But it was dying, I saw it!"

"No Dr Jones, what you saw was the transition from the second stage to the third stage. The virus has three stages. Stage one, infection, it takes over the host, attacks the body, symptoms include cataracts and blindness and partial paralysis. Stage two, it infects the brain, symptoms include violence towards anyone who gets in the way, which drives the host insane, leading to suicide or at least attempting suicide. But this virus, it needs a live host, so the victim can't kill themselves, no matter what they do. Tell me, did he beg anyone to kill him...he has, I can tell by the look on your face..."

"Stop, just stop!" Martha spat. "Don't talk about him like he's a lab rat. You said three stages?"

Dr Michaels sighed. "We never had a test subject make it to stage three. So I'm not too sure about the symptoms, but we can assume one of them is signs of the virus dying off. The virus will be fully entrenched, if I can't kill it within twenty-four hours, then it won't matter if the good captain out there kills me, we'll all be as good as dead."

"The virus, it needs to spread...but that means..."

"What, your precious Doctor dies, if only. Your friend is patient zero, the carrier. Your friend only has to touch another person and they're infected. That Dr Jones is the real Reichenstien Paradyme, that's why he needed clones of him. No human could carry the disease, in fact no-one but this man and an exact duplicate can carry it. The Reichenstien Paradyme is the ultimate weapon, and White Coat was going to sell it to the highest bidder."

"But the Cynrog?" Martha said.

"White Coat needed money, the Cynrog wanted the Doctor, so he made a deal," Sarah said. "He never intended to hand him over. He's just a common thief, that all he is, he's just a little smarter than your common thief who wants to be a bigger fish than he is."

* * *

Martha couldn't take it all in, the lies Dr Michaels had told, the need to sedate Jack to stop him interfering, and the now hopeless chance of curing the Doctor now laying in tatters.

She backed away from the bed the Doctor was lying in and saw for the first time the reality of it all.

She'd thought the Doctor was fighting the virus, now she knew that there was no hope of him recovering.

Now her hopes crumbled like a sandcastle too close to the sea...there was no hope.

She was pulled from her little world by Dr Michaels speaking.

"There's nothing more I can do, it just a matter of wait and see. Now, is it possible for me to actually be treated like a human and have something to eat and a shower?"

Martha nodded. "Sure," and moved past the bed and towards the door.

She stopped and turned. "How long before we know?"

Dr Michaels shook her head. "I don't know, but I do know one thing. If this doesn't work, you'd better be prepared to kill him."


	31. Chapter 31

Jack suddenly shot up when a voice whispered in his ear.

"J-a-a-c-k," it whispered.

Jack shook his head; it felt like someone had stuffed cotton wool inside his brain.

The voice whispered again. "Help me."

He fought to clear his head, so he could hear the voice clearly, distorted as it was by the cotton wool.

The voice whispered again, sounding more urgent. "Please, they want to kill me."

With those words everything became crystal ...it was the Doctor's voice!

With an intake of breath he looked round and found he was in his quarters. A pain in the back of his neck brought back an unwelcome memory...they'd sedated him.

With a growl of anger and frustration he stood up and climbed the ladder back up to the central Hub.

He stopped shy of the exit, wary of the others being around. But the Hub was quiet, only the constant humming of the Rift monitor broke the silence.

Cautiously, not trusting the silence he moved across and down the stairs.

He stopped at the door to the rest area and chanced a look inside. He saw Martha and Dr Michaels who were sleeping. There was no sign of Ianto or Gwen, much better that way, he thought.

"Jack, hurry," the Doctor's voice echoed in his head, insistent and compelling.

He stopped outside the med-room, unsure of whether he should enter, uneasy at what he might find.

"Jack," the Doctor's voice said again, and that made his mind up.

He opened the door and stepped in.

The Doctor was lying exactly as he had left him, deathly still and paler than his normal pale, and yet, there was something different...what was it?

He moved closer, was it possible?

A smile broke onto his face, the Doctor was awake and did his eyes look clear, and to his delight the Doctor turned at the sound of his footsteps and he knew that the Doctor could see him.

As he approached the Doctor struggled up, and the look of fear on his face caused Jack to falter.

"Doctor, it's okay, it's me, Jack," he said softly.

"You have to help me," the Doctor said, fear making his voice quiet. "They want to kill me."

Jack stepped closer. "No, they're helping you," he said gently.

"Jack, please, get me away from here, I need..."

The Doctor's words were cut off by his cry of pain.

Jack was at his side in seconds, arms protectively around him.

"Ssh now, I'll fetch Martha," he said.

The Doctor's reaction was not what he expected, considering the pain he'd been in.

His hand clamped round Jack's arm with surprising strength and he pulled himself up until he was inches away from his face.

"I need to get out," the Doctor hissed.

He started to pull away from the Doctor's grip, but found he couldn't.

"Doctor, what are you doing?" he said and tried once more to extricate himself from the Doctor's grip.

"I need to get out...need to get away... I need...!" the Doctor gasped out as another wave of pain hit him.

* * *

He was getting frustrated, why couldn't he make Jack understand? If they tried to cure or kill him.

Another wave of pain burnt through him, telling him that he was losing the fight against the thing inside.

He knew with horrific clarity that if they tried to kill him, although it would kill the thing inside, it would only let something else out, and he would definitely not let them kill him.

So, he'd done the only thing he could, turn to his oldest friend, one who would help him, one who would understand.

"Please Jack...!."

Another wave of pain hit him and he lost his grip on Jack as muscles and nerves burnt.

Jack stepped back when the Doctor let go of his arm.

* * *

The Doctor was asking him to do something he knew he couldn't.

He shook his head. "I can't," he said, his heart almost stopping at the look that crossed the Doctor's face.

"Please Jack!" the Doctor gasped out.

"I'm sorry, I can't," he said again.

He froze when he heard what sounded like a growl come from the Doctor.

He took a step back as the Doctor sat up, then stood up, causing the wires and tubes to rip away, leaving bloody trails on his arms.

Jack stopped again when the Doctor moved towards him and stopped a few paces away.

"Then get out of my way Harkness!" he snarled and went to move past Jack.

Those words broke Jack's paralysis and he moved to block the Doctor.

"I can't let you," he said quietly.

The look the Doctor gave him was nothing short of murderous, and Jack was close enough to see then change from brown to stormy black.

"Move Harkness," he said in the low dangerous tone that Jack knew too well.

The Doctor moved again and Jack blocked his way once again, this time there were only inches between.

"No," he said.

* * *

The Doctor drew himself to his full height and stared directly into Jacks' eyes.

Anger flashed through him, why was Jack being so stubborn...unless? No, he wouldn't, not Jack, not the one person he could rely on to understand.

He wouldn't believe it...did he want him dead!

The anger that had flashed through him began turning to rage, primal, unthinking, uncontrollable rage.

"I said move!" he snarled and instead of trying to step round Jack, he grabbed hold of Jack and pushed him.

* * *

Jack stood his ground as the Doctor had pulled himself up to his full height, and didn't back down when the almost black eyes bored into his.

He could see the Doctor was physically trembling with rage, but he still didn't move.

He didn't even react when the Doctor snarled at him to move, and was taken by surprise at the speed at which the Doctor grabbed hold of him.

It was like being thrown by a F5 tornado and Jack only felt a few seconds of pain before he hit the wall and knew nothing.

He never saw the Doctor give him one last look, full of contempt, nor did he see him leave the med-room.

Nobody saw him find his clothes, nor did they see him climb the stairs and leave the Hub.

Quiet descended on the Hub, the only sound was the sound of the Rift monitor. Apart from that, there was nothing but silence.


	32. Chapter 32

People tried to avoid the person who appeared to be talking to himself. You read about the horror stories of people being murdered by people like that. Why wasn't he somewhere away from the public? Why was there never a policeman when you needed one?

"Stop it, stop it!" the Doctor shouted as he hurried along the busy street, now full of shoppers.

He could hear the voice of the other, but the virus was his main concern and he knew his choices were running out.

He looked round, trying to choose a spot that would get him the desired effect...there he thought and moved towards it.

He heard the voice of the other hissing in his mind, telling him he wouldn't let him do this.

"You won't stop me," he hissed as he approached the door of his intended target.

* * *

Martha woke to the sound of someone banging and yelling loudly, and it took her sleep-fuzzed mind a few seconds to realise it was Jack, and that the banging was coming from the med-unit.

She hurriedly stood up and shook Sarah before haring off down the steps to the med-unit...something was wrong, very wrong.

Ianto and Gwen entered the Hub to find a scene of controlled panic.

Jack was busy holstering his hand-gun and checking the sights of a rifle. Martha was hastily packing a medical kit, and Sarah Michaels was standing watching.

"Jack, what's going on?" Gwen asked.

"No time to explain, the Doctor's gone AWOL, we need to move!" Jack said sharply.

"Ianto, get the mobile scanner, monitor the emergency services. I want to know if he surfaces. Gwen, call your friend at headquarters, don't tell them everything, just put out an APB."

Both of them nodded and within minutes they were out on the Plaza, waiting for Jack to bring the SUV.

It wasn't until they were settled in that Jack rounded on Martha and Sarah. "What the hell were you two doing! He said you were trying to kill him!"

Martha looked at Sarah, who just shrugged her shoulders and said in a matter of fact tone.

"If necessary then yes, I would have killed him, I can't let the virus spread. He's patient zero, kill him, kill the virus, its basic infection control."

Jack bristled at her off- hand comment, and wished he hadn't been driving. But he needn't have worried as Gwen did it for him.

The slap across Sarah's face filled the car and everyone looked in shocked silence.

"He's not a virus, he's a living breathing person!" Gwen snapped.

Sarah didn't react to the slap but replied. "Call him a person if you like, but just because he looks it doesn't mean he is. He's alien and has no rights, as far as I'm concerned."

Jack almost stopped the car, wanting only to shut the woman up, but he was distracted by Ianto.

"Found something, reports of someone on the roof of the Capitol Shopping Centre, he's threatening to jump" he said urgently.

* * *

The security guard cursed the fact that he hadn't pegged the guy in the pinstripes as suicidal. Now he was faced with a crazed man threatening to throw himself off the roof of the shopping mall.

He silently wished the police would hurry, he really didn't have the training to talk the guy down, and he didn't want to have to stop the guy and fall with him.

He just hoped his partner was keeping the crowds back and deterring anyone sick enough to encourage him to jump.

He could hear the sounds of sirens in the distance, but it was the squeal of tyres below that drew his attention.

A black SUV had pulled up sharply and at least five people had gotten out and were talking animatedly with the other guard before two of them ran for the service entrance.

* * *

Jack pounded up the stairs, not caring if he left Martha behind, all thoughts he'd had of ending the Doctor's life pushed out of his head. He wouldn't let the Doctor waste his life.

He virtually took the door off its hinges in his haste to reach the Doctor and caused both the Doctor and the security guard to jump.

"Are you the police?" the guard said as Jack strode towards him.

"Not really," he replied and pushed past the guard. "But I'll take it from here."

The guard looked at the ID the man flashed at him and backed away and moved towards the stairs, only to narrowly miss another person flying through the door.

* * *

Jack slowly approached the Doctor who was standing on the ledge of the building, seemingly happy to be standing there.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he moved towards the ledge.

"What does it look like Jack," the Doctor replied.

Jack frowned, it didn't sound like the Doctor had gone off the deep end, in fact he sound way too rational for his liking.

"It looks like your standing on the edge of a very tall building, and I don't think you're about to bungee jump."

"Ten out of ten for observation," the Doctor replied, his voice laced with sarcasm. "I suggest you go back to your little Torchwood and leave me to kill myself in peace."

"Can't do that," Jack said.

"It's easy, you turn round, put one foot in front of the other, I believe it's called walking."

Jack moved a little closer, hoping to be able to grab the Doctor.

He stopped when the Doctor shifted suddenly, so that the toes of his converses were over the edge.

He could hear the sirens of the emergency services getting closer, time was running out.

He heard someone behind him and chanced a look round, it was Martha, doing exactly as he was, edging slowly towards the Doctor.

He nodded to her and turned back to the Doctor.

"As much as I enjoy our rooftop conversations, it's getting dark and they say it's going to rain. So why don't we carry this on somewhere warmer."

The Doctor shifted again, and this time a trickle of cement and brick dust floated away in the breeze.

Jack could hear Martha draw in a sharp breath and stop moving.

"You mean the Hub, I don't think so. I'll end up in one of your cells, drugged to the eyeballs. So, if you don't mind, I'll stay here ta very much."

"Enough of this!" Martha's voice came from behind Jack...no not behind, from in front of him.

Jack looked away from the Doctor and to his horror Martha had climbed onto the ledge!


	33. Chapter 33

"Martha, what are you doing?" the Doctor said as she stepped up onto the narrow ledge.

"Well, you seem to like it up here, so I thought I'd join you and see what's so fascinating. Don't think much to the view. Mind you, you do seem to have drawn a crowd."

"Martha, get down now!" the Doctor said.

Martha shook her head. "You can't order me around, not anymore. If I want to stand on a crumbling ledge, then I will."

Jack had started to move towards Martha when he saw what she held in her hands, what she had behind her back...she was playing a dangerous game.

He started to edge diagonally, so that he could be as near to the Doctor as he could. He knew what was in that hypodermic, knew it would be instant, knew that the Doctor could fall either way...he would be ready.

* * *

The Doctor had stood on the ledge and looked down, he was drawing a crowd, which he wasn't too happy about.

Then he'd seen a familiar black SUV pull up...Jack.

Fine, let him try and talk him out of this.

What he hadn't expected was Martha stepping up onto the ledge with him...he suddenly felt a flutter of indecision.

"Martha, get down now!" he ordered her, and panicked when she disobeyed him...it wouldn't be suicide anymore, it would be murder.

He tensed when Martha started to walk towards him, hands clasped behind her back, casually looking down at the distant crowd.

"Martha, please," he pleaded.

He was too busy concentrating on Martha to notice Jack edging his way, nor to wonder why Martha had her hands behind her back.

"Martha, I said get down now!"

Martha shook her head again and moved again.

The Doctor was torn between throwing himself of the roof or grabbing Martha.

He less selfish side won out and he moved.

* * *

Martha and Jack saw the move at the same time, and everything happened in slow time.

Martha whipped the hypodermic from behind her back and grabbed hold of the Doctor as he grabbed her, and stabbed the needle in the nearest piece of exposed flesh she could see.

The effect was almost instant and Jack had to move faster than he expected, as the Doctor started to sway.

He would have fallen if Jack had been a second too slow, as he fell forward.

Martha hated seeing the look of betrayal in the Doctor's eyes as he slumped into unconsciousness, but it had to be done.

She slipped the empty syringe back in her pocket and followed Jack as he hefted the Doctor over his shoulder and hurried after him down the stairs.

* * *

When they reached the bottom, Gwen was busy trying to persuade what looked like a senior police officer that this was a Torchwood problem.

"I'm sorry, but he has to be taken in for questioning and for psychiatric evaluation."

"I can't let that happen, he's Torchwood staff and our responsibility."

Gwen looked over when she heard footsteps.

"You can take it up with my boss if you like, but he doesn't look in the best of moods."

The police officer looked over to where Gwen was looking and recognised the man immediately as one Captain Jack Harkness.

"Fine, but if he's seen on the streets again, it won't matter if he's the pope. He'll be arrested and sectioned, understood."

Gwen nodded and walked over to join Jack who was now carrying the Doctor.

"In the car," was all he said and said nothing else as they piled in, Ianto pushing Sarah Michaels inside.

* * *

The silence was uncomfortable and lasted until they had stepped off the ramp.

Jack placed the Doctor gently on the lounger and turned back to the group.

Without warning he reached out to Sarah Michaels and grabbed her by her throat and pulled her forward.

"Listen and listen carefully. You will get that thing out of him, or so help me I will personally send White Coat a message as to where and when he can find you," he snarled.

Sarah looked at the others but they just turned away, purposely ignoring her. She swallowed and took a deep breath before speaking.

"I can't."

Jack frowned, and then his face clouded again. "What do you mean can't?"

"I can't remove, only he knows how to remove it safely. If I try he would certainly die."

"But you said..."Martha began to say.

"What that I could cure him, you tend to say anything when someone's threatening to kill you. No, I can only put him out of his misery, only White Coat can cure him."

* * *

Jack had refused point blank to even think about letting Sarah Michaels contact White Coat. He didn't want that snake anywhere near the Doctor.

His resolve lasted until the Doctor came round and chaos ensued.

"Gwen, get that cell door open, now!" Jack yelled.

At first the Doctor had seemed a little out of it when the sedative wore off, and they had left him on the lounger.

Jack and Ianto had escorted Sarah Michaels down to one of the cells and had just locked her away when an almighty crash echoed down the stairs.

Now himself and Ianto were man-handling a cursing, biting Time Lord down to the same block of cells.

The confusion was made worse by the fact that every Weevil in the block was howling in response to the Doctor's curses.

They shoved the Doctor inside and only just slammed the door, before the Doctor threw himself against it.

Both of them recoiled as the Doctor's eyes were once again clouded and black veins were showing through almost translucent skin.

"Let me out!" the Doctor screamed, slamming his whole weight against it.

Jack backed away, but never took his eyes of the enraged Time Lord... and hung his head in defeat.

He turned to the cell that held Sarah Michaels and unlocked it.

"Call him," was all he said.


	34. Chapter 34

"I don't like this, it stinks of trap," Jack said as he looked round the deserted airfield. "Way too many places for snipers to hide."

Martha took in the rusting sheds and damaged runway.

"I don't like it either, but what choice do we have. We have to deal with the Devil or let her kill him," she said and nodded to where Sarah Michaels was handcuffed to one of the buildings.

They both tried to ignore the sounds that were coming from inside one of the hangars and look up at the skies instead.

"If he doesn't turn up soon he'll tear through the side of the van, then there'll be hell," Martha said.

"He'll be here, he wouldn't want to miss getting his hands on his prize possession," Jack replied, anger giving his voice an edge.

The sound from the hangar increased and Ianto walked out of the building and over to Jack.

"The van won't last much longer, it's starting to buckle, and I don't know what damage he's doing to himself."

Jack nodded and was about to reply, when the silence was broken by a sound similar to that of the rift when it was opening.

They all looked up as a shuttle appeared and began descending.

"He's here," Jack said.

* * *

White Coat could scarcely believe his good fortune when he'd received the call from Dr Michaels. At first he thought she was calling to gloat over her victory at destroying his plans, but his anger had turned to a mixture of nerves and anticipation when she told him the reason.

Now he could hardly contain his excitement as he stepped out of the shuttle...his property was within reach once more.

He looked over to where Captain Harkness and Martha Jones were standing, and then over at Dr Michaels...pity he thought, she was so good at her work.

He gestured for the two guards with him to wait and he slowly walked towards the waiting pair.

He stopped when he heard the sound coming from the hangar, and then continued until he was only a few paces from Jack.

"Having problems are we?"

"I'm not here to socialise," Jack said. "We, I need your help."

"So I see, and tell me what do I get in return for helping you Captain?"

Jack glared at White Coat, he itched to wrap his fingers round that arrogant bastard's throat.

"You get to breath for another day," he growled.

White Coat smiled at the words. "Really, I thought you were above such crude ideas. But I digress, shall we look at it."

Jack bridled at his description of the Doctor, but Martha's hand on his arm stopped him from retorting.

"He's this way," Martha said and gestured towards the hangar.

* * *

Gwen had been standing as far away from the van as she could, having almost been knocked flying by the Doctor slamming against the sides.

He had kept up a constant barrage of what she presumed was his own language, and she could guess they weren't polite ones either.

However as soon as she saw Jack, Martha, Ianto and someone who she assumed must be White Coat enter the hangar she moved back towards the van.

"Thank god, he's not stopped since you parked it."

She tensed as the man in the white coat approached the door of the van and reached out to open it.

"Don't," she said and went to pull the man away.

"No it's okay, let him," Jack said.

* * *

White Coat gave Gwen a look he might give one of his specimens and brushed at the spot where she had grabbed his jacket.

"I really don't think he's going to hurt me, not if my conditioning has been effective," he said.

He reached into his pocket and brought out something Jack recognised instantly.

"You can't use that!"

White Coat looked at Jack. "Captain, if you and your crew have any wish to leave this place alive, I suggest you let me do this my way. The collar is the only way I'll have a chance of getting near it. Now be quiet and let me work."

Without another word White Coat opened the van doors, collar in hand.

The figure inside whipped round at the sound of the doors opening and moved...but stopped after a few strides when he saw a way too familiar object.

Memories of pain flashed through his head and he back-pedalled until he was against the back of the van, fear rising in his stomach.

White Coat smiled at his property's reaction... yes the conditioning was still working.

"Good, you do remember. Now behave and I can stop your pain."

* * *

Jack watched White Coat like a hawk watches the rabbit in its sights as he opened the doors to the van.

He couldn't quite hear what White Coat said, but he could hear the effect the sight of that collar had on the Doctor.

He almost stepped in to stop White Coat when he heard the Doctor whimper in what could only be fear, but he stopped himself as White Coat stepped away from the doors and the Doctor followed seconds later.

"Now Captain Harkness, I think it's time for me to take my property back."

Jack whipped round when there was the sound of feet and the click of safety's being released.

The hanger filled with armed men and a now released Sarah Michaels, although she was being virtually carried inside.

"You really shouldn't be so trusting Captain, did you really think I would let you keep my property."

White Coat turned back towards the Doctor.

"Hold him," he ordered two of the armed men.

The Doctor struggled in vain as White Coat approached with the now undone collar.

"Please no, I'll be good...you don't need to...please..."

The Doctor's words were cut off as his face went blank.

"You are so dead!" Jack snarled at White Coat.

White Coat gave him an unpleasant smile. "Really Captain, I believe that's the...let me see...yes, that's at least the fourth time you've threatened me and failed. Now if you don't mind I, my property and the unfortunate Doctor Michaels will be leaving now. Goodbye Captain Harkness."

With that he turned away from Jack.

"Come along," he said to the Doctor.

"Doctor, you can't, you have to fight this!" Jack cried, but his words fell on muted ears.

The sound of the shuttle entering the rift was the last thing Jack heard before his world collapsed into dark grief.

He was gone...and this time he didn't think he would find him.

**TBC in 'The Strategy of Chaos"**


End file.
